Perfect Storm
by piratewench78
Summary: Deacon and Rayna are finally getting married! Life still happens, so how do they weather the storms together?
1. Chapter 1

_I don't really care about those storm clouds brewing / Oh, as long as you're here by my side_

The Rest of Our Life – Tim & Faith

 _You roll through life like a rolling fire / I bring the rain like a thunderstorm_

Live Forever – Little Big Town

 _She's the thrill of a lifetime a guy like me spends his whole life looking for / That girl right there's the perfect storm_

Perfect Storm – Brad Paisley

Deacon was halfway up the incline on the bridge when he had to stop to catch his breath. He had jogged all the way there and the incline was steep. Rayna'd had a good head start on him, because he had stood in the alleyway long after she'd left, feeling justified in his anger and hurt and pique. But after she was gone, and all he could hear was traffic noise from the other side of the building and the roar of crowd noise from inside, it had come over him like a cold, wet blanket. _I done it again. I disappointed her._

How many times had he done that, in all the years he'd known her? If it wasn't bailing on rehab or backsliding on sobriety, it was all the times he'd acted impulsively and made a mess of their lives, or it was all the times he ended up in a hospital, or jail. It was all the times he didn't live up to his promises and how he'd proven to her, over and over again, that he couldn't be the man she believed he was. He'd done it again, this time, by dismissing her concerns about Markus Keen bailing on her and Highway 65, the thing that, other than him and the girls, meant the most to her. It was her creation and it had meant everything to her, and he'd just turned his back on her. Told her it didn't matter.

He shook his head as he breathed in. Of course it had gone both ways, in their lives together, in ways that had been both known and unknown to him. Certainly there were the times she'd broken up with him, kicked him out, turned her back, almost always because of his drinking. And she had hidden her pregnancy from him, let another man claim his daughter, and raise her, and had lied to him about her for thirteen years. They'd done so much damage to each other, but they'd never let each other go completely, never threw each other away completely.

He had almost let her go again this time, stubbornly resisting her attempts to reconcile. But he'd had cancer then and thought he was going to die and he hadn't wanted her to be saddled with that. Not after everything else she'd dealt with in their relationship. He should have known, from the beginning, that he wasn't going to be able to make no stick. He loved her more than life itself. She was part of him, part of his soul and his blood. He'd never been able to shake loose of her, any more than she'd been able to shake loose of him. That they had finally found their way back to each other and survived his transplant and his impulsive purchase of the bar was a testament to their love. He couldn't screw it up now.

As he drew in one more deep breath and felt his heart beat return to normal, he saw her, standing along the railing, looking out over the dark river. The breeze lifted her hair, letting it dance around her face. Her posture looked defeated and he felt a lump in the pit of his stomach, knowing he'd put it there. The one thing he knew, though, with complete certainty – no matter what they did or said to each other – was that they had a bond that could not be broken. In the early days of their relationship, he had often thought he wasn't good enough for her, that she deserved better. But the one thing he'd learned, over all those years, was that that was never true. He never doubted her love for him and he never doubted they were meant to be together. It would be no different this night.

He started towards her, his footsteps measured. God, he hated hurting her, disappointing her. He hated that he'd made this whole thing with Markus about himself. He hadn't been fair to her. He'd done what he'd done before – pushed her away. But it was the music, the thing that had tied them together for all those years. He felt like they had lost that, a little, and he'd done what he'd always done. Turned away.

But as he approached her, she turned and looked at him and he'd seen that yearning in her eyes too. They'd been through so much, just to be together again, and they really did need to stop all the old patterns. So he got down on one knee and he asked her to be his wife.

 _A/N: A Nashie friend gave me this idea, to write Deacon and Rayna's wedding without all the angst and heartache, as well as to give us their honeymoon. So in this story there will be drama, because it can't be Nashville without drama, but none of the over-the-top stuff, at least on the wedding day. In this story, Beverly doesn't die and Cash is just a potential older mentor to Maddie. Together Deacon and Rayna work through the issues that threatened to derail them on the show and then have that beautiful wedding and the honeymoon of their dreams. I also pushed the wedding date back a little farther into spring, so the outdoor venue wouldn't seem so out of place. Laura, this is for you!_


	2. Chapter 2

They were about halfway back to the bar, when Deacon stopped and pulled Rayna into his arms and kissed her deeply. When he pulled his lips from hers, she laughed a little breathlessly. "Can you believe this?" she asked, smiling happily at him. "After all this time, we're finally going to do this?"

He leaned in for another kiss. "I was sorta wondering if this day would ever come," he said. "But I been thinking about it ever since that night at the cabin. When we got back together."

She raised her eyebrows. "You have?" She looked so happy right then. Her eyes were sparkling and her smile was giddy. It was almost like she was that sixteen year old Rayna again, on stage for the first time, all wide-eyed and excited.

He nodded. "I had it all planned out in my head. But I was gonna ask you on stage at the Claybourne & Gray." She made a face and he laughed. "But clearly the better idea was to fight with you and then chase you to the river and ask you there."

She giggled and swatted his arm. "That _was_ much more romantic," she said. "At least the chasing me to the bridge part. Not the fighting with me part."

He shook his head and grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, not my finest hour, for sure." He took her hand, the one with the ring, and held it up to the light of the streetlight. "You still happy?" he asked.

She nodded and smiled. "Yes. So happy." She tilted her head slightly. "I don't want to wait."

"What do you mean?" He furrowed his brow. "You mean like you wanna do it _now_? Like elope or something?"

She laughed. "No, silly. I just mean, I don't want some long engagement. Really, I sort of feel like we've been engaged, in some way, all these years, you know?" She breathed in and her face suddenly clouded over. "I mean, all this time we spent going different ways." She looked at him intently. "I just don't want to wait. I love you. You love me. We know we're meant to be together and I just want to do this as soon as we can." She smiled a little shyly. "I'm ready to be your wife."

He felt tears in his eyes and he pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her and holding her tightly. "I'm ready to be your husband," he whispered into her hair, his voice filled with his emotions. He felt her arms tighten around him as she nestled into his chest. He walked her back then until she was pressed up against the side of the building they'd stopped in front of and pressed his lips against hers. He tugged on her lower lip and she opened her mouth to his. He heard her soft moans and he leaned into her and before he knew it, it felt like the rest of the world faded away, as it often did when they were together.

"Hey, get a room."

It sounded far away at first, but the fog seemed to fade and he felt Rayna shaking with giggles against him and then it bubbled up against his lips and then he was laughing. They both turned to watch the back of the person who'd said it as he walked on up the street. He looked back down at her, a smirk on his face, one eyebrow raised. "Want to?"

She leaned her head back and laughed. "I think we need to go check on our girls," she said. "One of those non-romantic parts of our life now, you know." She reached up and put her hand on his cheek. "And tell them the good news, too, of course."

He kissed her on the forehead. "Let's do it then."

* * *

Things were humming inside the bar when they got there. Cadillac Three was on stage and the crowd was singing along. Rayna slid her hand through the crook of his arm and squeezed tightly. He looked down at her, raising an eyebrow. She smiled. "I'm sorry I missed this, babe," she said. "It looks like you and Frankie have really got things going here. I'm so proud of you."

He smiled back at her and leaned in for a kiss. "I'm sorry I was an ass, baby," he whispered into her ear.

She nodded knowingly. "Yeah, you were kind of an ass, but at least you came around," she said. She nudged him with her elbow. "Let's go find the girls."

He looked around and spotted them standing near the pews with Frankie's daughter Cash. He also saw Scarlett hanging out with Gunnar, Will, and Avery. She looked happier, which made him smile. He wondered where Caleb was though, but then Rayna pulled him towards the girls and he forgot about his niece and her boyfriend.

"Dad! Mom!" Maddie cried when she spotted them, a smile on her face. "Guess what? Cash wants us to write together."

Rayna reached for Maddie's hand and squeezed it. "That's great, sweetie," she said. "But your father and I have some news to share."

Cash raised a hand. "I'll see y'all later. I'm gonna go find my dad." And she headed off towards the back of the bar.

He turned back to the girls and felt Rayna withdraw her arm from his. She held out her left hand, smiling broadly. Maddie squealed with joy, as she grabbed her mother's hand. "Oh my God, Mom! You're really getting married?" she cried.

Rayna nodded and he could see tears in her eyes. "Yes, we are. Finally," she said.

Maddie looked back and forth between them. "How did he ask you? Have you set a date? Can we go look at dresses?" She was clearly excited.

Rayna laughed. "He followed me to the bridge and he asked me there. And no, we don't have a date yet, and yes, you can go with me to look at dresses." She looked down at Daphne. "Both of you."

Maddie grabbed his arm. "Oh my God, this is just so amazing!" she cried. "Did you get down on one knee, Dad?"

He grinned. "I did, although your mama had to help me back up." He put his arm around Maddie's shoulders and hugged her. He looked at Rayna. "I'm a little too old for that anymore," he said with a laugh.

Maddie leaned her head on his shoulder and smiled. "So romantic," she said. Rayna put her arm around Daphne and hugged her to her side and then looked back at him. He breathed in, thinking it sure hadn't started out very romantically and certainly not the way he'd planned it, but it seemed like everyone was happy and that was the best part of all.

* * *

It had been a long day, filled with tension and anger and disappointment, but it had ended the way he had hoped, although not exactly in the manner he had planned. Now they were home, in bed, and she was in his arms, wearing the ring he'd bought her, and it finally felt like they were on the right path after all those years. He turned his head and kissed her on the forehead. "You awake?" he asked softly.

She looked up at him and, even in the darkness, he could see the sparkle in her eyes. "I'm not sure I can fall asleep," she said. "This has been the best day of my life."

He raised his eyebrows. "Really? Even after everything that happened?"

She rolled her eyes. "Don't remind me of everything else. I just want to think about this." She held out her hand. "This beautiful ring and the promise of a beautiful future." She looked back at him and smiled. "With the love of my life, the only man I've ever truly loved. The man I'm gonna spend the rest of my life loving."

He grinned. "I do like the sound of that." He pulled her closer. "So you think about a date?"

She rolled over so that she was able to face him full on and nodded. "How about April fourteenth?"

That surprised him. "You weren't kidding, were you?" She shook her head. "That ain't all that far off."

She ran her fingers over his chest. "Are you saying you don't want to marry me right away, Deacon Claybourne?" she asked teasingly.

He let out a short laugh and shook his head. "No, I definitely ain't saying that. But that's what, a month? You gonna be able to do it in a month?"

"I'll get a wedding planner. Someone who can take care of all those details." She made a face. "I think we'll need one to keep Tandy and Beverly apart, don't you?"

He laughed at the mental image of their sisters, both of whom would be the least happy people at this wedding. "Make sure you get someone who ain't no shrinking violet, for sure."

She leaned in and kissed him. "So April fourteenth?"

He nodded. "April fourteenth. Sounds good to me."

She smiled happily. "Good." Then she slid her hand under the covers and he groaned when she reached her target.

"Damn, baby," he growled. "One more time?"

She winked. "At least," she purred, and then she disappeared under the sheet and he groaned again with both anticipation and pleasure.

* * *

Maddie was in the kitchen when he and Rayna came downstairs the next morning. Their daughter smiled happily. "Good morning, lovebirds," she said. He reached out and pulled her into a hug, kissing the top of her head. "Mom, have you decided on a date yet?"

Rayna smiled and nodded, putting her arm around his waist. "April fourteenth," she said.

Maddie looked surprised. "Mom! That's, like, just a couple weeks away!"

"It's four weeks, actually. And I thought you'd be happy to get us married."

Maddie threw her arms out. "Well, I am, but that's not a lot of time. Especially for dress shopping."

Rayna shrugged. "I think we can manage. I know exactly what I want and my stylist can have it made for me very quickly."

He looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "You already know?"

She smiled teasingly. "Well, of course. I've had it in my head for years."

"Seriously, Mom?" Maddie cried. "You actually knew what wedding dress you'd want?"

Just then Daphne walked into the kitchen, an odd look on her face. Rayna reached out and pulled her youngest daughter into a hug. She made a face at Maddie. "Well, back when I was a teenager I had an idea. All my friends had their weddings all planned and I used to look at their bridal magazines, so I have always had an idea of what I'd want." She glanced over at him with a look that said she didn't want to hurt Daphne's feelings.

Things seemed a little tense for a moment, so he clapped his hands together. "How about bacon and eggs?" he said, with a smile.

Maddie laughed. "Your famous bacon and eggs?" she said, with a smirk.

He winked at her. "Are there any other kind?" He looked at Rayna and Daphne. "So I'll fix breakfast and you ladies can wait to be served."

Rayna stepped over to him and ran her hand up his back, leaning in for a kiss. "I think that would be perfect, babe," she said. She looked back at the girls. "Let's go wait for our breakfast."

* * *

After breakfast, the girls went upstairs to get ready for school and Rayna stayed behind to help him clean up. As he was wiping down the counter, he looked over at her. "So what's your plan for today?" he asked.

She was putting dishes in the dishwasher and she stopped and sighed. "Well, first I need to find a wedding planner." She made a face. "Good news is that Lori knows everybody in town and I know she'll have someone on speed dial. And then, well, then I need to figure out what to do about Markus's publicity tour. Now that _Markus_ isn't doing Markus's publicity tour."

He breathed out. He still felt bad about how he'd behaved the day before. "Rayna, I'm so sorry about how I.…"

She waved him off. "It's past, babe. Now we just have to pick up the pieces and figure out our next move. Or moves. Bucky and I are meeting about it and we'll come up with a plan." She smiled then. "I may have to do some travel."

He raised his eyebrows. "And you still wanna get married in a month?"

She laughed. "That's what a wedding planner is for. She'll ask all the questions, I'll give her answers, and then she'll take care of the details. The only thing I really have to take care of myself is the dress. And that goes on my list today too, to call Shelley and schedule some time in the next couple days to work on that."

He took a step towards her and took her arm. He leaned in towards her and grinned. "You really already knew what dress you wanted?" he asked.

She smiled and nodded. "I did. I do. I think you'll love it."

He leaned in to kiss her. "I'd love you in a gunny sack," he said and she laughed.

"Well, it won't be that, I can assure you." She slid her arms around his waist. "I need to go get dressed. Can you take the girls to school?"

"I can do that," he said. She leaned in for a kiss and he reached up and tangled his fingers in her hair, holding her close, deepening the kiss. "I love you, Rayna," he whispered against her lips.

She pulled back and smiled up at him, her eyes sparkling. "I love you, Deacon. I can't wait to marry you." She bit down on her lip. "I need to get ready for work. Can I talk you into maybe coming and washing my back?"

He grinned. "Oh, I don't think you need to talk me into that." He reached for her hand and pulled her towards the stairs. He looked back at her. "I could probably be talked into some other stuff too."

She acted shocked and then she laughed. "I do have to go to work you, you know," she said, and then she squealed as he pulled her into an embrace and kissed her. "I mean it, babe," she said, against his lips. He kissed her harder and when he finally let her go, she was breathless. "I suppose I could be a little late for my meeting," she said.

He pulled her up the stairs, laughing.

* * *

He heard his phone ring and pulled it out of his back pocket. He smiled when he saw it was Rayna. "Hey, baby," he said when he lifted it to his ear.

"Hey, yourself," she said and he could almost hear the smile on her face. "So I wondered if maybe I could hijack you this afternoon."

He grinned. "I like the sound of that."

She laughed. "It's not what you think, although maybe we can do that later." She paused for just a second. "Actually, I was hoping you might take a ride with me," she said, the tone of her voice softening.

He headed from the bar back down the hall towards his office. "Where to?"

"I'd like to show you the place I want us to get married."

He raised his eyebrows. "You got a place? Already?"

"Well, it's my mom's land. Her family's land, out in Cheatham County, along the river. It's never been developed so it's really pristine and quiet. I always really loved it out there. So peaceful, you know?"

"Sounds great, baby. When you wanna go?"

"How about I pick you up around two? Bucky and I have a call about some publicity for Markus and then I can head out."

He thought about that. "I can do that. You gotta bring me back there though. I gotta close tonight."

"I'll see you at two then."

* * *

He lost track of time. It wasn't until he felt Rayna's hand on his back that he realized it was past two. "Hey, baby," he said, giving her a quick kiss. "I'm sorry I wasn't ready."

She shook her head. "It's okay. I was running a little late. Can you still get away?"

He smiled. "Absolutely. Let me put this stuff back in the office." He hustled back and put the invoices he'd been working on on his desk and then walked back out. He put his arm around her and smiled down at her. "Let's go."

* * *

He ended up driving, as she directed him out of town. They headed north on Briley Parkway, then picked up Ashland City Highway. They made a turn in a rural area with few houses and crossed over the river, then continued west. She pointed to a gravel drive and he made the turn. He looked over at her. "It's almost like going to the cabin, ain't it?" he said.

She looked back at him. "Yeah, it kinda is, I guess. Although it's not nearly as remote." She laughed. "Just seems that way." She looked out the window, a dreamy look on her face. "You know, when I was little, it always seemed like we were taking a trip when we came out here, even though it can't be more than twenty minutes or so from where we lived. But it's so rural and peaceful out here, you can forget Nashville's not that far away."

He pulled in and parked and they got out of the truck. He walked around and took her hand and she led him to the river's edge. He breathed in. "This is beautiful, Ray," he said.

She looked at him. "Mom always said she wanted Tandy and me to get married here. Because it's so peaceful and so not Belle Meade." She made a face. "Of course, Tandy eloped, and I, well, I married Teddy at the country club." She sighed. "This was always my dream, though."

"I'm glad you wanna do this here," he said. "It's beautiful out here."

She looked up at him and smiled. "I think she would have really liked you," she said.

He raised his eyebrows. "You do?"

She nodded. "Well, yeah. I mean, she had that long relationship with Watty. I know she would have appreciated that I found myself my own musician to love all these years."

He kissed her and then breathed in. "I know you miss her," he said.

She nodded. "I do. Every day." She bit her lip. "It was so hard to lose her so young, you know? And when I think about how Tandy and I were close to the same age as our girls now" – she breathed in – "well, I just can't even imagine not being here for them."

He hugged her close, feeling a lump in his throat. "I know, baby," he said and he kissed the side of her head. "They're lucky to have you."

She looked back at him and smiled. "And you, too. You know that, don't you?"

He shrugged. "I feel like Daphne don't quite see it that way," he said.

She frowned. "What do you mean?"

He looked out over the river. "You know, I mean, her daddy's not here and I ain't him. Maddie's my daughter and I sure do think of Daphne the same, but I don't think she does."

She made a face. "You really think so? Or is this just you thinking somehow something's not gonna work out."

He rolled his eyes. "It ain't that, Rayna. Most times she's fine, but sometimes she ain't. I ain't…Teddy."

It was her turn to roll her eyes. "Well, that is definitely true. And it's not a bad thing either, babe." She put her arm around his waist and leaned into him. "You've overcome so much all these years. You've been the man I always knew you were inside. You've been strong in the face of some pretty daunting circumstances. You're a good man, who wouldn't intentionally hurt anyone, who would protect us to the end, and you make good choices. Teddy? Well, Teddy did some really stupid things, to make himself look better. To me, to my father, to Jeff Fordham, of all people, and to try to be the 'cool dad' to the girls. And look where it landed him. In jail, for doing things that are so embarrassing to his daughters." He looked down at the ground, tapping his heel into the dirt. "Babe, you've been rock solid. They both love you. Always have. And you love them. I've always known that and it always meant so much to me, that you loved them even when I know it must have killed you." He wrapped his arm around her neck, pulling her close and kissing her forehead. "Maybe just talk to her. Alone. I'll bet you're wrong about this."

He smiled, even though he wasn't quite sure he believed that. "Maybe I will," he said.

She smiled at him then, with a little twinkle in her eyes. "I know I need to get you back, but do you have a little bit of time for just me before we go?"

"This _is_ just us, ain't it?" he asked.

She laughed. "You know what I mean." She nodded towards his truck. "You have this nice truck with that beautiful big back seat and we're here where it's all secluded and everything." She looked around them, then back at him. "And I'm feeling kind of, you know, frisky." She grinned.

He grinned back. "Frisky, huh? Like, old times back seat fooling around frisky?"

"Like I want my fiancé to do what he does best. Leave a big old smile on my face for when I go back to the office."

He threw his head back and laughed. "I guess I could do that." He raised an eyebrow at her. "But only 'cause you asked me so nice." He leaned in and kissed her. "And 'cause I'd do anything my fiancée wants. Even in the backseat of a truck." She stepped out of his embrace and he took her hand, jogging back to the truck.

* * *

As he pulled back out onto the road, she pulled down the visor and opened up the mirror. "Oh, babe, you messed up my hair," she said, as she ran her fingers through it. She looked over at him and he smirked at her. "You don't even feel bad about it, do you?"

He raised an eyebrow. "You were the one wanted to mess around in the backseat. I just gave you what you asked for. Not my fault you're so irresistible that it makes me mess up your hair."

She laughed, then leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "It's been a long time since we've done that in the backseat of your truck. And it wasn't even this truck." She looked in the mirror one more time, then flipped up the visor. "I have to say, though, that was amazing. It makes me glad we don't have paparazzi in Nashville."

He laughed. "That is true. Don't need no headline about Rayna Jaymes having sex in a truck." He looked over at her and saw her blush. He reached for her hand and brought it to her lips. "You just make me love you all over again every single day, baby. You know that?"

She looked at him, the hint of tears in her eyes. "I'm just so glad we're back where we belong. Together." She breathed in and then smiled. "I love you, Deacon Claybourne. More than I think you'll ever know."

He felt tears in his own eyes. He felt lucky to have found this again, to be getting ready to spend the rest of his life with the only woman he'd ever truly loved. It was a dream come true. "I love you, Rayna Jaymes. For eternity."


	3. Chapter 3

Rayna was smoothing lotion over her arms and legs when Deacon came home. He walked up and gave her a kiss. She smiled. "I'm so glad you're home reasonably early," she said.

He raised his eyebrows and smiled. "Yeah?" Then he walked into the closet.

"I had a few wedding related items to discuss with you after meeting with the wedding planner." She had raised her voice slightly so he could hear her and looked expectantly at his closet door. After a moment, she called out, "Babe?"

He came to the door in his t-shirt and boxers. "I thought that's what _she_ was for," he said.

She continued to smooth lotion on her arms. "Well, she is, but I wanted to run some things by you first." She smiled. "It is your wedding too, after all."

He grinned. "I guess that's true." He walked over and leaned against the wall next to her vanity. "So what do you need my expert advice on?"

She smirked. "Well, we'll have a rehearsal dinner the night before the wedding. Where would be a good place, do you think? It doesn't have to be really big, since we're not having a lot of people."

He thought for a moment. "How 'bout the Bluebird? Where we met?"

She breathed in and smiled. "Oh, babe, that's perfect. And so appropriate. I think the girls want to do a song for us. What better place?" She screwed up her face then. "Who should do a song before the wedding starts? I was thinking maybe Scarlett and Gunnar?"

He nodded. "I can ask Scarlett but she'll do it. I know that."

"And our vows. Are we gonna do the traditional vows or write our own?"

He smiled. "We're songwriters, baby. If we can't come up with words, I don't know who can."

She laughed. "That's true." She got up from her stool and put her arms around his waist. "We're really doing this, babe. After all this time."

He put his arm around her shoulders and kissed her on the forehead. "Yes, we are."

"Are we crazy to do this?" she asked. "I mean, we've gone all these years without being married. Are we just tempting fate? You know, now we'll have all those boring things, like doing the dishes and filing taxes. Are we crazy?" She looked up at him.

He took a deep breath and hugged her closer. "Baby, we're nothing but crazy. Always been. But I don't wanna be crazy with nobody else but you. I told you before, I just been waiting to do all this mundane stuff. It's like, well, like a dream come true."

She tilted her face up to his and he kissed her. "I think you're right. We are crazy. But it's the kind of crazy that gives me hope, you know?" He nodded. "We've waited so long and now we're finally gonna do this. Have this life together we dreamed about back when we were just a couple of teenagers."

He smiled and kissed her again. "I still feel like a teenager with you sometimes, you know?"

She laughed. "You do?" She twisted out of his arms and took his hand. "I think you should show me just how much you feel like a teenager then." She gave him a teasing smile.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and pushed her towards the bed. "Get ready then, baby, 'cause I'm gonna make you scream," he growled into her ear.

She laughed as he kept moving her towards the bed, slapping at his arm. "We have girls in the house, babe," she said.

"I don't care. We're all the way back here. They ain't gonna hear." He reached down then and grabbed the waistband of her shorts and jerked them down around her knees. She couldn't help but giggle with glee. Then he reached between her legs and she moaned as he touched her the way she liked. "Does that feel good, baby?" he whispered against her neck.

"Oh, babe," she whispered, letting her head drop back against his shoulder and closing her eyes, while his fingers played her like a guitar. She pressed her hips back against him and let herself be swept away by her desire.

* * *

They stood on opposite sides of the bed and turned down the covers. Then both of them crawled in on their respective sides and met up in the middle. He propped himself up on the pillows and she leaned against him, her head on his shoulder. They were quiet for a moment and then she laughed softly. "I swear you just made me feel like I was sixteen," she said.

He chuckled and then kissed the top of her head. "As I recall, that was about as far as I got with you when you was sixteen," he teased.

She looked up at him. "That's not…completely true." She turned back, putting her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing.

"Baby, you wouldn't let me go all the way with you for six months," he protested.

"Oh, it wasn't _that_ long," she said. "I just wasn't gonna let you get away with anything until you broke up with Samantha whatever her name was." She rolled onto her side and smiled up at him. "You remember."

He looked guilty. "Yeah, you're right, I do remember. _That._ But I also remember you sleeping in my bed for a long time 'fore you'd let me do nothing more than touch you there." He reached under the sheets and showed her where.

She slapped at his hand and laughed. "I was sixteen!" she protested. "And a virgin! I had no idea what I was doing and you were so, well, you were so _experienced_." She could feel herself blush. Even though she had long ago overcome her anxiety about talking dirty in bed, she still could feel shy about it when they weren't in the heat of it all. She put her hand on his arm and lightly ran her fingers up and down. Deacon had taught her everything, and that included how to make love and how to please him. But he had also taught her how to accept pleasure and it had served to draw them even closer together all those years ago.

He pushed her hair back off her face, looking a little wistful. She reached up and put her hand on his cheek and he looked down at her. "You ever miss those days?" he asked.

She raised her eyebrows. "You mean when we first met?" He nodded. She thought about that. "Sometimes. I miss how wide open we were back then, how we just thought the whole world was ours and all we had to do was take it. Before the cold realities set in." She ran her index finger along his jaw. "Do you?"

He leaned his head back against the pillow and nodded. "I hadn't disappointed you then," he said, his voice quiet.

She frowned. "Don't do that," she said. He looked at her as though he didn't know what she meant. "Don't think you don't deserve all this. You do. We both do. All of those things we went through just made us stronger." She brushed the back of her hand against his cheek. "You're the love of my life, Deacon Claybourne. The only man I've ever truly loved. You know that." He nodded, but she could still see the hint of tears in his eyes. "You're gonna be my husband and I'm gonna be your wife." She smiled. "I've been waiting nearly my whole life to say that."

He tangled his fingers in her hair and leaned down to kiss her. Then he slid down so that he could take her in his arms and he bit lightly on her lip. She opened her mouth to his and slid her arm down to his waist as he wrapped his arms around her. She felt herself falling into the kiss and she never wanted it to stop. He rolled her onto her back and she sighed deep in the back of her throat as she took him into her.

* * *

Rayna was in her office the next morning when the wedding planner reached out to her. "Just a few more things, Rayna," she said. "We have a cake tasting on Saturday at noon. Can you make that?"

Rayna opened up her calendar to Saturday. Daphne had choir practice that morning. "Could we do one? I'm not sure I can make noon."

"I'll check, but I'm sure for you they'll adjust the schedule." Rayna smiled to herself. Normally she would not want to use her celebrity, but sometimes it helped, she had to admit. "And did you decide on roses or lilies?"

She tapped the desk with a pencil. _Deacon likes roses._ She smiled. "Roses. Pink and white roses, if we can."

"We can do that. And when is your dress appointment?"

"This afternoon. My stylist has several gowns for me to try."

"Do you have a maid of honor? Or any attendants?"

Rayna thought about that. She frowned slightly, then shook her head. "No on both. I guess my sister will hold the rings, but I just want it to be Deacon and me up there." _Damn, I need to call Tandy._

"No problem. Okay, that's it for now. I'm meeting with a couple caterers today and will have some menus for you to review. Oh, and will we have alcohol at the reception?"

She really hated to have alcohol around Deacon, not because she didn't trust him, but because she felt like it was sort of disrespectful. But they'd talked about it and they had decided flutes of champagne would work. "Yes, champagne only. I'd like it brought out in flutes though rather than just open pour."

"We can do that. Thanks, Rayna."

After she disconnected, she thought again about her sister. She'd been so caught up in the excitement and then the planning, she had not called Tandy. She looked at her phone then and scrolled down to her name, then lifted the phone to her ear.

"Well, this is a surprise!" Tandy said when she answered. "What's up?"

"I couldn't just be calling my sister to say hey?" Rayna said, with a smirk.

"You could, but we just talked a week ago, so I'm guessing that's not it."

She remembered. Tandy had called her in the middle of the debacle that was Markus Keen. "You always were smarter than me," Rayna replied with a laugh. "Actually there is a very specific reason I'm calling you." She paused a second. "Deacon and I are engaged."

There was silence on the other end. "I was kind of wondering when that was going to happen," Tandy finally said.

Rayna frowned. "Or really you were wondering if maybe it wouldn't."

"That's not fair, Rayna. But you know, it's been a while since the two of you…reconciled and there had been no talk of getting married."

"Maybe not to you."

"Fair enough. So, then tell me, how did he ask you?"

Rayna sat back in her chair and thought about Deacon's proposal on the bridge. She really was glad he hadn't done that on the stage at the bar. Even if it came after a fight, the bridge was certainly more romantic. She smiled to herself. "He got down on one knee and did it the traditional way," she said.

"And the ring?"

Rayna held her hand out in front of her and looked at the beautiful ring he'd given her. "It's gorgeous," she said, with a smile. "Very sparkly and blingy. _Not_ , however, like that monstrosity Luke gave me."

Tandy laughed. "That was a very big ring," she agreed, stating the obvious. "So? Have you set a date?"

"We have. April fourteenth."

"Rayna! That's less than a month away! Are you crazy?"

Rayna laughed. _Yes, we are very definitely crazy._ "Maybe. But I just want to marry him, Tandy. You know I've wanted to marry him for a very long time. It's just time to do it." She could hear her sister sigh on the other end of the phone. She closed her eyes for a moment, wondering if Tandy would ever be able to accept Deacon.

"So are you just doing it in front of a judge, then?"

"No. We're actually going to have a real wedding. Out on Mom's land. Just, obviously, small and intimate. With just the people we love." She breathed in. "So can you come?"

There was a pause. "I wouldn't be anywhere else," Tandy said quietly.

* * *

Rayna was waiting outside the school for the girls when Bucky called. "Hey, Buck, what's up?"

"Rayna, I know this is very last minute, but can you fly up to New York in the morning to do a round of radio visits for 'Tonight Feels Different'?"

She made a face. "Really, Buck? I can't just call in? This is so last minute."

"I wish it weren't, Rayna. I'm sorry. And I really think you being there in person makes a huge difference. Shows the level of commitment you have to this record and this single."

She sighed. Bucky was right, she knew that. Markus had stepped out of his comfort zone with this and without him to talk about it, she would have to do the heavy lifting. She was determined that he wasn't going to sink her and if that meant she had to jump on a plane, then that's just what she'd have to do. "It's just for the day, though, right? I don't have to stay overnight?" she asked.

"Nope. Just for the day. I actually was able to get Juliette's plane since she's off the grid. Avery gave the okay."

She frowned. "Where _is_ Juliette?"

"Avery said something about 'Shenandoah Girl' business."

Just then Rayna saw the girls coming down the steps of the school. "Buck, I gotta go. The girls are coming and we've got a big dress shopping adventure," she said with a grin.

He chuckled. "Alright, I'll let you get to it. See you tomorrow. 6 AM at John Tune."

She groaned. "Please don't do this to me again," she said, although she knew it was likely this wouldn't be the last time. "I'll see you then." She disconnected as the girls opened the doors. "Hey!" she cried, a big smile on her face. "Are y'all ready?"

"Yes!" they both cried as they scrambled into the car.

* * *

They stopped at Rayna's stylist first. There were several dress samples for her to try on, to gauge how close in style they were to Rayna's vision. After trying them all on and getting oohs and ahhs from the girls, she went back to one of the samples, an off-shoulder, fitted gown. She stood on the podium and turned first one way and then the other, trying to compare in her head the plain sample to her dream dress. She caught the girls' eyes in the mirror. "What do y'all think?" she asked.

Maddie nodded. "I like it," she said.

"Me too!" Daphne said.

She ran her hands down the skirt of the dress and pondered what she saw. "Is it at least close?" Shelley asked.

Rayna nodded. "Yeah, it is. I'm just trying to see it in my mind the way I envisioned it." She ran her hands down to her waist. "I think it needs to be a touch more fitted here," she said. She touched the center of the neckline. "And a sweetheart cut here."

"Are you thinking silk or satin?"

She thought for a moment, then looked at her stylist. "Can we do silk?" she asked, a hopeful smile on her face. "It just seems like it would drape better."

Shelley nodded. "We absolutely can. White? Ivory? Something else?"

"Ivory, I'm thinking. But close to white." She laughed. "I'm not a first-time bride, after all."

"But you're first for Dad, Mom," Maddie reminded her.

She looked at her daughter and smiled. "Yes, that's true." She looked back at Shelley. "So as white as you can make it without it being bright white." Shelley nodded. "And then that lace overlay I sent you the picture of." She touched her shoulders with her fingers. "I want the cap sleeves in lace too, not the silk."

"Is it gonna be sparkly, Mom?" Daphne asked.

She laughed. "Yes, baby, it is. It has all kinds of little beads and tiny rhinestones woven into the lace, so there's just the right amount of sparkle. Perfect for a wedding dress." She kicked her ankle back. "And a little fullness to the lace over the bottom of the dress, Shelley. So there's good draping and there's a little swing to it." She turned and looked at the girls. "How does that sound?"

Maddie had a dreamy look on her face. "That sounds amazing, Mom. I think Dad will love it."

"You'll look so beautiful, Mom," Daphne said. Rayna thought she caught a hint of sadness in Daphne's face, but when she caught her eye her daughter smiled, and she decided she must have imagined it. It made her wonder for a moment about what Deacon had said, about Daphne feeling like he was trying to take Teddy's place, and she thought that Daphne may have done the same thing she herself did and put on a public face to hide what was inside. But then Daphne started laughing with Maddie and she let it go.

She clapped her hands together and smiled. "Well, now that we've got this taken care of, y'all ready to go get your own dresses?"

"Yes!" they cried together, and so she stepped off the podium and went back to the dressing room to change.

* * *

She was chopping vegetables for a salad when Deacon came in the back door. He put his keys and phone down on the counter and walked around behind her, putting his arms around her waist and pressing a kiss against her neck. She smiled and leaned back into him. "Hey there. Glad you got home early."

"Well, you gotta go to bed early and get up early, so I didn't wanna miss you." He let her go and went to the fridge to get a sparkling water.

She sighed. "I'm sorry I have to do that, but it can't be helped," she said, rolling her eyes.

He leaned against the counter next to her. "You gotta do what you gotta do, baby," he said. "I understand. At least you'll be back tonight."

She nodded. "That's true."

"So did you get your dress all figured out?"

She smiled at him. "Yes, I did. And Maddie thinks you'll love it."

He chuckled. "Oh, I'm sure I will." He leaned in for a kiss. "I'll love you more though."

She smiled teasingly at him. "I'm sure you will." She focused on her chopping. "The girls were happy with their dresses too, I think."

He frowned. "You don't sound sure."

She stopped and laid the knife down. "I'm a little worried about Daphne, babe. She didn't seem as enthusiastic as Maddie. Not that she could match Miss Over-The-Moon." She smirked, then sighed. "But she just didn't seem like my normally happy-go-lucky Daphne. Maybe I need to talk to her."

He frowned slightly. "That's what I done told you, baby."

She turned to face him, putting her hand on his cheek. "Thank you for worrying about her, babe. Maybe you're right." She rubbed his arm and looked away, thinking about the fact that, as happy as she was now, life had certainly been a series of ups and downs, for all of them. She would definitely spend some time with Daphne. She turned back to the counter. "Can you call the girls down? Dinner's almost ready."

He rubbed his hands on her arms and leaned in to kiss her on the back of the head. "Sure," he said, quietly, and then she heard him walk away.

* * *

Cash Gray had just left the house after a writing visit with Maddie. Rayna had wondered about her interest in a sixteen year old, but Cash had been pleasant and polite and she decided maybe she was just projecting her still uncertain feelings about Frankie onto his daughter. Cash had some experience that she could probably share with Maddie, she and Deacon had decided, and thought maybe it wasn't a bad thing. Maddie bounced back into the den after walking Cash out. "Mom, I want to go see Cash play at the Bluebird tomorrow night. She said she'd pick me up. Can I go?" she asked.

Rayna made a face. "It's a school night, Maddie."

Maddie rolled her eyes. "She's playing the six o'clock show, Mom."

Rayna thought about it. Deacon wouldn't be working and could stay with Daphne. She smiled at Maddie. "I'll take you," she said.

Maddie didn't look enthusiastic. "You don't have to."

Rayna shrugged. "I know. I want to. I'd like to listen to her music."

Maddie's face brightened then. "Maybe you could sign her!"

Rayna wasn't sure about that, but it never hurt to listen to new talent. "We'll see," she said.

* * *

Rayna listened to Cash with a practiced ear. She'd heard a little of what the young woman had worked on with Maddie and had found she had a nice way with phrasing, mostly providing a change of word that made a difference in Maddie's music. Cash's own songs were more grown up, understandably, speaking to her own experience in life. Deacon had told her that Cash had gotten caught up in the messiness of Frankie's alcoholism and the damage it had done to their family. Much of what he'd told her reminded her of her own fears, back when she'd found out she was pregnant with Maddie. It was the stuff she'd been most afraid of and had wanted to protect herself and her baby from. She hadn't said that to Deacon, but it had stayed with her and alternately made her feel sorry for what Cash must have endured and admiration for her apparent ability to overcome it.

Rayna looked over at Maddie. She was entranced. It hadn't been that long ago that Maddie had ended up on stage with Juliette Barnes, singing in front of twenty thousand people. Shortly after that, Sony had presented an offer to sign her daughter, which Rayna had turned down against Maddie's wishes. Maddie had been furious, but Rayna hadn't backed down. She didn't want her daughter to be exploited, either of them actually, and had signed Maddie and Daphne to Highway 65. She knew Maddie wasn't thrilled, but she wanted to be able to bring her along slowly, not throw her into situations she couldn't handle.

"Isn't she great, Mom?" Maddie whispered, leaning towards her.

Rayna looked at her daughter and smiled. "She's very good," she whispered back. Maddie gave her a look, as though she thought Rayna should think seriously about Cash as an artist, but she wasn't sure just yet. Cash's writing held promise, but her voice was thin and a little weak to Rayna's ear. Then Cash performed a song that ultimately made Rayna catch her breath, unsure as to whether Cash was such a good role model after all. When Cash finally got to the end of the song, Rayna felt her stomach clench with anxiety and, when she glanced over at Maddie, she didn't like the fact that her daughter was singing along.

 _Don't ever settle for a temporary fix / Don't get me started if you just gonna quit / Don't ask the question if you don't wanna listen / Don't kiss me if you don't mean business_

 _Don't make this harder than it should be / Take my advice 'bout what this could be_

 _'Tween you and me there's a little chemistry / We could both be what the other one needs / And I don't wanna run you off, by tellin' you this / Don't kiss me even if you don't mean business ._

 _I got a heart that's ridin' on the circumstance / So don't lie to me just to get in my pants / That ain't too much to ask of you now, is it? / Don't kiss me if you don't mean business_

* * *

After Maddie headed up to bed, Rayna came and sat down next to Deacon on the couch. He put his arm around her shoulder and she leaned back against him, pulling one leg up under the other. "Deacon, I don't know if Maddie should be writing with Cash. She's so much older and her songs are more…adult. Maddie may think she's an adult, but she's not."

He rubbed his thumb along her shoulder. "What do you mean by adult?"

She sighed. "Like don't kiss me if you don't mean business and don't lie to me if you want to get in my pants. About having chemistry with a boy. Maddie's just not old enough for that." She lifted her hands up. "I don't know how far she's gone with Colt – and I don't think I want to know – but she shouldn't be writing stuff like that."

He nuzzled her neck. "You were doing that at her age," he said.

She looked back at him and scowled. "I didn't write about it though."

He raised his eyebrows. "Don't sound like Maddie's writing about it either, Ray. It's Cash doing it." She looked away. "Why not talk to Cash, baby? Let her know how you feel."

"I don't know, babe. I feel like Maddie and I are just getting back to sort of normal after that whole Juliette debacle. If she thinks I'm interfering again, who knows what she'll do?"

"So, you're gonna do what? Tell her she can't do that no more?"

She sat up and turned to face him, frowning. "So you think I should just let her do whatever she wants then?"

He raised his eyebrows. "That ain't what I said. And I thought you and me was supposed to be doing this together, Ray." He waved a hand back and forth between them. "This sounds more like _you_ deciding."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, sometimes I feel like I'm the only one who's thinking about the fact that our daughter is only sixteen." He put his head back and ran his hands over his face, which just annoyed her. "Well, I do, Deacon. It's not like you don't know how I feel about this. And I thought you were right there with me on this when she pulled that stunt with Juliette."

He looked back at her. "I was, Rayna. I _am_. But, baby, you gotta listen."

She got up then. "No, I'm her mother. And if I don't look out for her, no one else will. I remember what it was like to be a sixteen year old trying to make it in the music business and things are a thousand times harder and more complicated now. It's not only my job as her mother but as her label head. I just need you to understand that." She turned and walked out of the den, not paying attention to him calling after her.

* * *

She heard him open the bedroom door and saw the dim light from the hall before he closed it behind him. He walked around the bed and into the closet. When she felt him get into the bed, she bit down on her lip. She didn't want to fight, but it certainly had been part of the language they spoke to each other for as long as she'd known him. They were both passionate people, feeling things deeply, which was why they'd been so good writing songs together and performing them. They always felt the music deep in their souls and that music always came from their emotions, regardless of their form.

She heard him sigh and then his arm snaked around her waist and pulled her back against him. "We'll figure all this out, baby," he whispered against her shoulder. "But we ain't gonna talk about it no more tonight. And I ain't going to sleep with you being mad." He kissed her shoulder and then along her neck and she felt a shiver run through her, smiling in spite of herself. He ran his hand lazily over her abdomen, then let it slide down a little lower and pressed her gently back against him.

After a moment, where she literally curled her toes under, she turned over to face him. Shrouded in the dark, she couldn't see him clearly, but she could see the glint of his eyes. She reached her hand up and ran her fingers over his cheek and then brushed his lips with her thumb. She bit her lower lip gently, then said, "I love you, Deacon Claybourne."

He drew in a breath. "I love you, Rayna Jaymes," he said, his voice low and sensual.

She felt a quiver run through her at the sound of his voice. She leaned in and brushed her lips over his. "I need to feel you inside me," she whispered.

He hitched his breath and then reached under the covers and pulled her panties off. As he gave her what she asked for, she told him everything else she wanted him to do to her, in one of the other languages they spoke to each other. And she knew they could overcome anything.


	4. Chapter 4

Deacon jogged up the steps and let himself into the house. "Scarlett?" he called out. "You here?" He waited and heard footsteps. Instead of his niece, Beverly appeared. He felt himself tense up and took a deep breath, forcing a smile on his face. "Hey, Beverly," he said.

She gave a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "You make it a habit to just walk into people's houses now?" she asked.

He clenched his jaw. "I used a key," he said. "And it _is_ my house."

She tilted her head slightly. "But you're living in the queen's palace these days," she said. "So I don't see that this is so much 'your house' anymore, is it?"

He breathed in slowly. He had hoped her donating part of her liver to him would have brought them closer together. Although initially she had seemed to soften, that had all inexplicably changed when she decided to stay in Nashville. He gave her a tight smile. "Where's Scarlett?" he asked, deciding to ignore her comment. Her feelings towards Rayna had certainly not changed.

"I don't know," Beverly said tersely. "She doesn't tell me her plans."

"She is an adult, Bev. Not like she has to check in with her mama."

"It's just polite, Deacon. You should know that." She scowled and then turned and walked into the kitchen.

He thought about walking out, but he'd been avoiding her lately and he knew he needed to tell her about the wedding. He shoved his hands in his pockets and followed her. He leaned against the counter. "You still got that gig at Robert's?" he asked.

She turned to look at him. "Yes, I do. Three days a week, actually. And another weekly gig at a place out in Donelson."

He smiled. "That's great, Bev," he said.

She glowered at him. "You'd think your paramour could work up some development deal for me. Especially since I saved your life and all."

"Beverly, I told you I don't get involved in that," he warned.

"What about something at your place?"

"You play there."

"Something regular."

He sighed. "That's Frankie's call." She rolled her eyes. "So, Bev, I got some news."

She raised her eyebrows. "What news?"

He swallowed. "Me and Rayna are getting married."

She breathed in sharply and then focused on the counter. "Well, I guess I'm not surprised. You're finally getting everything you wanted, aren't you, baby brother?" She looked back at him then, a hard look on her face.

He breathed in. He really didn't want to get into an argument with her. "It's been a long time coming," he said. "But we finally got it right."

She smirked. "Yeah, I guess you did at that." She turned away again. "It all ended up working out for you. Hooking up with her in the beginning and her turning into a big star. You get to be the one in her pants for all those years…."

"Beverly," he said, a warning tone in his voice.

She looked at him again. "I thought you were a fool to wait for her all those years, pining after her like a little lost puppy dog, while she went off and got married and had a family with that society boy. But I guess she wasn't so high society as I thought, since she fell for someone like you." He scowled and took a step towards her. She didn't back down, though, just hardened her face. "You always did luck out, didn't you, little brother? Hooked yourself to her wagon and rode it to the top. Leaving me behind."

He shook his head. He was tired of this same argument. "I ain't arguing with you about this no more, Bev," he said. "Me and Rayna are getting married and we want you at the wedding."

She eyed him carefully. "So is that why you came to see Scarlett? She's the one you want singing at your wedding, isn't she? Not your sister, who was there with you during the worst times of our lives, and who took care of you."

He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. There was no good response to that. "Rayna wanted her and Gunnar to sing," he said, knowing he was letting Rayna take the fall for this.

Beverly rolled her eyes. "Oh, I don't doubt that for a minute." She smiled a cold, unfeeling smile. "But, of course, you didn't try to change her mind about it."

He hadn't, that was true. Also true was that it never had crossed his mind. But he wouldn't tell her that. "They're on her label, Beverly. Made sense."

She stood looking at him, tapping her foot. "Well, when she shows up around here, I'll be sure to tell her _Rayna_ wants her to sing at her wedding."

He shook his head. "Don't bother, Bev. I'll call her, okay?" He started for the door, then turned back around. "You know, I really thought you being here and everything that went on with the transplant, me and you could figure out how to, you know, get back to how we used to be."

She laughed. "Really? Well, Deacon, you left me in Natchez, Mississippi. I'm not sure we can ever go back to how we used to be. You left me to deal with the mess that was our parents. That changed everything, Deacon. You know that."

He shook his head. "Beverly, we done been down this road before. You made one choice, I made a different one." He raised his eyebrows. "I know you think it was all good times and being on top for me, but it wasn't." He walked back over to her and put his finger in her face. "I went to rehab five times, Bev. Five times! I disappointed Rayna so bad she left me and then she didn't tell me we were having a baby. I lived thirteen years without knowing about my daughter, so don't tell me I had it good and you didn't." He put his hands on his hips and breathed in. "Look, me and Rayna want you to be at the wedding. I hope you'll come. And I'll find Scarlett myself."

He turned and walked out, slamming the door behind him. He made a growling noise as he headed down the steps to his truck. She sure knew how to push his buttons. Not unlike their father. When he got to the truck he breathed in and out, trying to calm down. Then he opened the door and swung in, shutting it behind him. As he drove off, he was reminded, yet again, that while he'd gotten their father's disease and she'd gotten their mother's, Beverly was as mean as she always said their father was and he had walked away like their mother often did.

He took a deep breath. He'd worked hard to try to overcome that history and legacy. He knew he hadn't completely succeeded, but he was sure as hell farther along than his sister.

* * *

He had his guitar on his lap, his writing notebook on the table in front of him. He had had an idea for a song he wanted to sing for Rayna on their wedding night, one that would let her know he was committed to being the man she'd always wanted. That he'd finally figured it out. She was everything to him and they were finally going to have everything they'd ever dreamed of having. He wanted this to be special.

Rayna was at the office doing publicity and the girls were off with friends. He'd mostly finished the song but was struggling with a tag, which surprised him. That was what Rayna always hated trying to come up with, meaning she usually tossed it to him. But this song had to be perfect and it had to be right and so it was harder to come up with just the perfect line.

He was startled then by the opening of the door. He leaned forward, over his guitar, trying to pull all his work together. He glanced over his shoulder and saw it was Maddie. She walked around the couch and stood looking down at him. "Are you working on a song?" she asked.

He grabbed everything and jammed it back into his notebook. "Uh, yeah," he said.

She sat down on the couch next to him and smiled. "Can I hear it?"

He stared at her for a moment, then frowned and shook his head. "No." He knew he sounded a little harsh. He set his guitar aside and picked up the notebook. "No," he said again, softening his tone.

She raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Is it a secret song?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Maybe."

"For Mom?"

"It's, uh, none of your business," he said, standing up then and reaching for his guitar.

Maddie didn't move, just smiled up at him. "I think that's sweet," she said. He frowned. "Will you sing it at the wedding?"

He frowned harder. "No." He huffed. "Don't say nothing to nobody," he warned.

"I won't, I promise." She smiled. "I think she'll like it." He just stared at her. Then her smile faded and she rolled her shoulders forward, looking dejected. "I wish she'd pay attention to what I do," she said softly.

He sat back down then. "What are you talking about, Maddie?" he asked.

She looked up at him. "Mom won't listen to me when I try to talk to her about what I want to do. I want a career, Dad. I just don't understand why she won't believe me."

He reached for her hand. "It ain't that she don't believe you, sweetheart," he said.

She scowled. "Then she doesn't believe _in_ me. And I don't understand why. _Juliette_ believed in me. _Sony_ believed in me. Why can't she?"

"Maddie, honey, she _does_ believe in you. Why else would she sign you to Highway 65?"

She pulled her hand away and crossed her arms over her chest. "That was with Daphne. And nothing has happened since then. She just wanted to control me and not let me follow my dream."

"Maddie, that ain't true and you know it."

"You don't understand either. Both of you had careers at my age. You were doing what you wanted to do. She's just holding me back. You both are."

He frowned. "It ain't like you think, Maddie. It was tough back then, getting people to pay attention to us, let us play. We weren't playing on big stages back then."

She threw her hands out. "But you were doing what you loved. And that's all I want to do. I want to write music and get to perform it. I don't care if it's on a big stage. I just want people to hear my music. Why don't you get it?"

He sighed. "I do get it, baby. I really do. I didn't want to do nothing else 'cept play back then. But it's harder than you think and your mama's just trying to make it easier for you."

She shook her head. "No, she's not, Dad. She's trying to keep me from doing it. She wants me to go to college. Why can't she understand that's not what _I_ want? I'm old enough to decide."

"You think you know what you want. But, Maddie, your mama and me, we been through this. We just want to spare you the heartache."

She stood up then. "I don't want that!" she shouted. "I want to be able to do what I love, the same way you and Mom do. Why don't you get it?" She turned and ran out of the music room before he could stop her.

He sat forward and rubbed his face in his hands, as he rested his elbows on his knees. _Rayna's gotta talk to her. Or she won't never understand._

* * *

It was a slow night at the bar and Frankie was agreeable to staying to close, so Deacon drove home. It was still late, so the house was dark, the only light on over the stove in the kitchen. He headed straight for the back stairs and jogged up. He needed to talk to Rayna and he knew, with both their schedules, it might be a couple more days before he'd have the opportunity.

When he opened the bedroom door, he was happy to see she was still awake, reading in bed. She looked up and smiled when she saw him. "Well, this is a happy surprise," she said, closing her book and setting it on the bedside table. He put his bag down on the couch and walked over to her side. She lifted her hands to his face as he leaned over and drew him in for a kiss. "You're home early," she said. "Not that I'm complaining."

He grinned. "I'm just glad you're still awake. I know you got a early flight tomorrow."

She made a face. "Not too early. And Bucky chartered a plane for us so it's easier in and out." She frowned. "What's up?"

He breathed in. "Wanted to talk about Maddie," he said.

She breathed out. "What about her?"

He sat down on the edge of the bed and looked at her. "I think maybe you forgot what it's like to be sixteen and have a ton of talent."

She shook her head. "That's not true…."

He took her hand and she looked at him. "I think it is, baby," he said.

She pulled her hand away and frowned. "So you want me to just do whatever she wants and not pay attention? Because I'm just not gonna do that, Deacon."

He shook his head. "That ain't what I'm saying, Rayna. But you know she's unbelievably talented. And maybe she does need to spread her wings, away from Daphne."

She raised her eyebrows. "Oh, I see she did a real sell job on you."

He frowned. "That ain't true. Maybe I just listened to her."

"Are you saying I don't listen to her?"

He shrugged and smiled apologetically. "I think maybe you don't. 'Cause she's your little girl and you still maybe look at her a little that way."

She gasped. "But while she lives here, I make the rules," she said.

He reached for her hand. "Who does that sound like?" he asked gently.

She breathed in, then looked away for a moment. When she looked back at him, he saw hurt in her eyes. "I sound like Daddy?"

He sighed. "Maybe a little."

She clenched her fists. "I just want to smooth the way, you know that. I don't want her to be exploited and used and at her age, there are so many people just waiting to do that. She's too young to know that now and that's why she needs us, to give her guidance." She sighed. "She's just so headstrong and willful. I just want to help her."

He reached for her hands again and gently unclenched them. "I know that, baby, but she don't. She just sees you say no or say not by yourself or not yet. And to her, that means you don't believe in her enough." Rayna gasped. "I know that ain't true either, but think about how you were when you was her age. Lamar kept trying to hold you back and told you he wouldn't let you follow your dream and you ended up on the street."

She smirked then. "I wasn't exactly on the street," she said.

He sighed. "But she would be. Or could be, if you don't try to see things through her eyes. I don't wanna lose her, baby, and we could, if we don't pay attention." He gave her an encouraging smile. "Just be honest with her. Tell her the truth."

She looked at him for a moment, then sighed. "When did you get so smart?" she asked.

He smiled. "I learned from the best," he said. Then she smiled and leaned in for a kiss.

* * *

Cash was over, working with Maddie, and so he and Rayna had decided to hang out in the kitchen, so they'd have a chance to talk to their daughter. After Cash left, Maddie walked into the kitchen. He and Rayna turned towards her. "So, how was it?" Rayna asked.

Maddie looked thoughtful and then shrugged. "It actually was amazing, Mom. I've learned so much from Cash."

Rayna took a deep breath. "Cash isn't the only co-writer in Nashville, you know, Maddie. There are lots of other people you could learn from. I don't want you to focus all your time with just one person."

Maddie frowned. "Who said I'm doing that? But Cash _wants_ to work with me and help me. _And_ she thinks I could really make it as an artist."

Rayna walked over to her, a look of concern on her face. "You make it sound like she's the only one who does, Maddie. And you know that's not true. You have a deal with Highway 65."

Maddie rolled her eyes. "With _Daphne_. I'm talking about being on my own."

Rayna screwed up her face. "I don't understand. I thought you loved performing with Daphne. The two of you are wonderful together."

Maddie sighed. "I _do_ like performing with her, Mom, but she's twelve. And I'm sixteen. It's a big difference." She narrowed her eyes. "You were on your own when you were sixteen."

Rayna looked down and then over at him. He just raised his eyebrows. Maddie was right and he thought this was a good time for Rayna to address that with their daughter. She looked back at Maddie. "Well, that's true," she said, drawing her words out. "But it's a different time, Maddie. A lot has changed in the music business since I was sixteen."

"But that doesn't have anything to do with the fact that I want to do this on my own. Why are you trying to keep me from doing that?"

Rayna breathed in. "I'm _not_ trying to do that," she said.

Maddie whirled around and stomped into the den. "You _are_ , Mom!" she shouted. "You want to baby me and hold me back from doing what I love, when you did the exact same thing!" She turned around and glared at her mother.

He watched Rayna as she struggled internally with what to say. He didn't want to get in the middle of it, because he felt like it was a conversation the two of them needed to have. Maddie reminded him so much of Rayna when she was sixteen, and he wasn't sure Rayna saw that. Or that she wanted to see it. Rayna turned to look at him then, as though she were asking for help. He raised his eyebrows again, as if to say "this one's on you" and she bit her lip.

Looking back at Maddie, she said, "Okay, so I'll tell you what it was like for me then." That got Maddie's attention and their daughter sat down at the island. Rayna sighed. "First of all, I need you to understand how lucky you are. You've gotten to perform at the Bluebird and at the Opry and, even though I wasn't happy about it, onstage at an arena, all by the time you were my age when I started out. I didn't get to do any of those things until I was much older."

"But you played at the Bluebird," Maddie interrupted. "Where you met Dad." She gave him a sly smile.

Rayna nodded. "That's true. But it was an open mic, a little different than what you got to do." She walked over to Maddie and took her hands. "Sweetheart, I know you think I'm holding you back and I don't mean for you to feel that way. But I also know that it can be hard, especially on a young artist like you." She glanced over at him then. "If you really want to do some performing on your own, your father and I will support you. I still want you to perform with Daphne though, because I know you two enjoy performing together and because I think she'd be very hurt if you left her behind."

Maddie seemed to consider that. "Well, what was it like for you, Mom? When you were my age."

Rayna made a face. "It was hard, Maddie. Harder than you think. Your father and I played in lots of honky tonks and dive bars and little tiny places, just trying to get heard. We didn't have the benefit of other performers who could help us along. We had to make our own way and it took a lot of hard work and a lot of time."

He decided to jump in then and Rayna looked at him gratefully. "We had to take side jobs back then, just to make ends meet. Your mama and I lived in a studio apartment because we couldn't afford nothing else."

Rayna nodded and then looked back at Maddie. "I want you to follow your dreams, sweet girl, the same way your father and I did." She took a deep breath and let it out. "I just also want to take care of you, because I'm your mama." She smiled.

He walked up to them and put his arm around Rayna's waist. "We both do, baby. We just don't want nothing bad to happen or for people to take advantage of you. Nobody's gonna be more careful of you than we are."

Maddie crossed her arms over her chest. "I want to do this on my own though. I know you want me to do it with Daphne, but, Mom, we're just not in the same place musically. And I don't think it's fair to treat us the same."

Rayna bit down on her bottom lip. "Well, Maddie, we'll have to think about that, I guess. I'm not going to promise you anything, but I'll consider it. We can talk about it some more. How's that?"

She wrapped her arms around her waist. "I guess." She sighed. "I still want to write with Cash though."

Rayna nodded. "That's fine. I think you should consider writing with as many people as possible though. The more writing styles you're exposed to, the more you can experiment and find your own style." She looked at him. "We can probably get you hooked up with some informal guitar pulls and even some writers' rooms, if you'd like."

A smile crossed Maddie's face then. "I would love that. Thanks, Mom." She jumped off the stool, gave Rayna a quick hug, and headed for the stairs.

Rayna looked at him. "Was that the right thing to do? I feel like I just gave her permission to run away."

He chuckled and then hugged her. "Baby, we can't hold her back. She's too willful and stubborn. Like a certain other sixteen year old I used to know." He winked at her.

She frowned and swatted his chest. "I was _not_ like that," she countered.

He raised his eyebrows and smiled. "Oh, really? Who was that girl who snuck out of the house to go to open mics and ended up getting kicked out of the house?" Rayna rolled her eyes. He looked at her seriously then. "Look, Ray, we don't want that to happen to her. Not that we'd kick her out, but we don't want her doing nothing we don't know about. And if we don't give her a little bit a leash, that's what'll happen."

She sighed. "I know you're right, babe, but I just feel like, I don't know. I guess I just want to keep her in a little bubble so I can protect her."

He kissed her on the forehead. "You done that her whole life, baby. It's time to start letting her go."

She looked at him and then she wrapped her arms around him, leaning her head against his chest. "Seriously, when did you get to be so smart?" she murmured.

He put his arms around her and held her close. "Learned from you, baby. Learned from you."

* * *

His phone buzzed while he was in the music room and he picked it up, setting aside his guitar when he saw it was Rayna. "Hey, baby," he said, with a smile.

"Hey, babe." She sounded tired, but it was more than that. She seemed down.

"What's wrong, Ray?" he asked, frowning.

She was silent at first. "Oh, I don't know," she said finally. "I guess it's all the questions about why Markus left the label and kind of implying we didn't know what we were doing with him. I'm spending all my energy just trying to redirect the conversation and it's just wearing me down." She sighed. "I just didn't expect things to be like this, Deacon."

"What things?"

"Oh, all the business side of things, I guess. Maybe I was deluding myself into thinking I could do all this. Run this label, find and develop new artists, and make my own music. And I feel like I'm not doing any of it well. Or at all."

His heart hurt for her. This had been such a heart project for her, fulfilling that desire to mentor new talent and create a refuge for artists as well as for herself. "Baby, that's not true. You're doing a great job."

"Oh, Deacon, you're so sweet, but you know that's not true. I feel like I need someone to handle the business end of things." She sighed again. "I want to make music again, babe. My own music."

"Do it, baby."

"Remember talking about doing an album together?"

"No, I don't remember."

"Yes, you do. Back before you had your surgery. We talked about it at the Bluebird, when we did that set. I told you I wanted us to write a record together."

Most of what happened that night was a blur these days. Once Beverly came in and announced she was willing to be his donor, he'd forgotten most everything else but that. He might not remember it, but it had been a long time since he and Rayna had written together and that had always been something special. "Baby, I'm always up for writing with you," he said. "We can do that and put together a great record for you."

"No, Deacon, not for _me_. For _us_. I want us to do a record about _us_. _Our_ story."

He frowned. "What does that even mean, Rayna?"

"Our lives together." She sounded a little irritated that he didn't understand. "All the ups and downs, the good and the bad."

He sat back. "You sure? 'Cause there's a whole lotta pain in our story. You really wanna dig into _that_?"

"It doesn't have to be painful, babe. There's a really strong story of abiding love there. Love for the long haul. I'd just like to think about it. Can we think about it?"

He breathed in. "Yeah, I guess we can do that." He ran his hand down his thigh. "You feel better now?"

"I don't know."

"Come home, baby. You got a lot on your plate. Just come home." He smiled to himself. "I'll take your mind off all this stuff."

He could hear the smile in her voice. "I'm certainly counting on that," she said. "I'll see you tomorrow. Love you, babe."

He smiled into the phone. "Love you too." When he disconnected, he sat back against the couch. She did have a lot on her plate. The publicity, the wedding, her label. He worried about her, worried she'd taken on too much, and that, even with the wedding planner, getting married so quickly was too much. But she kept insisting it would all be done. He had to admit, though, that the idea of being married to her, sooner rather than later, was one he was looking forward to.

He picked back up his guitar and settled it on his lap. He looked over at the sheet of paper with his lyrics and chords laid out and tried the song out one more time.

 _I've been weak, more times than I've been tough / I've been up and down and out and out of luck / The only give I ever gave was giving up / I've had enough_

 _I've been loved a whole lot more than I deserved / Through the thick and thin and bridges that I've burned / Still those blessings seem to find me through the curse / This time I've learned_

 _So from here on out, I'm turning around / Parting ways with the man I used to be / And I'm making you a promise / I'm gonna make it count / From here on out….  
_


	5. Chapter 5

Rayna and Bucky had gotten back much later than they'd planned, thanks to weather keeping them on the ground in Chicago. So she was exhausted when she pulled into the drive and let herself into the house. It was dark, the only light coming from the light over the stove. She sighed, then yawned, and dropped her purse and keys on the counter. She got a glass from the cabinet and filled it halfway with water. She reached into her purse for a couple aspirin, hoping to ease her tired headache. She popped them in her mouth and downed them with the water. Then she headed up the stairs.

She opened the door to the bedroom quietly, not wanting to wake Deacon. The nightlight in the bathroom gave off enough illumination for her to see her way to the closet. She could see Deacon, laying on his side, under the covers. She smiled to herself and then walked into the closet, closing the doors and turning on the light. She reached behind her to unzip her dress and then pulled it up over her head, dropping it on the floor. She kicked off her shoes, then took off her bra and panties, slipping into an oversized Exit/In t-shirt. She switched out the light and walked out.

She went into the bathroom and quietly washed her face and brushed her teeth, then made her way back to the bed. She gently lifted up the covers and slid in. "I'm awake," Deacon whispered, startling her for a second. Then he rolled over to face her.

"I'm sorry, babe," she said. "I didn't mean to wake you."

He lifted up on his elbow, looking at her. "You didn't. I just been waiting here for you."

She smiled and touched his cheek with her palm. "You have been?" she asked, with surprise.

He nodded. "Yeah." She slid down under the covers and moved closer to him. "You tired?"

She made a face. "A little. But I'm glad to see you." She smiled. "Awake, I mean. I know it's been tough, these last couple weeks, with me traveling and all the wedding stuff. I feel like we don't get enough time together."

He reached out and put his arm around her waist, pulling her closer. "It'll settle down soon." He smiled. "Long as I get this time with you." He leaned in and pressed his lips against hers, then tugged on her bottom lip until she opened her mouth to his. She moaned in the back of her throat as his tongue found hers. She reached her hand up to his shoulder, pressing herself against him, as he deepened the kiss. She felt his hand trail down her back, loving the feel of his callused fingers against her skin. He flattened his hand against her bottom, fitting her against him, and she could feel the quivers of anticipation, as well as how much he wanted her. She lifted her leg and ran her foot up his calf, opening herself up to him. He pulled his lips from hers and stared into her eyes, as she tried to catch her breath. She felt his hand slide up under her t-shirt and settled on the small of her back. He leaned towards her. "You want me, baby?" he growled, his voice low and sensual.

She bit her lower lip. "Oh, yes, please," she murmured. "All night long."

He chuckled and then he rolled her onto her back and gave her what she asked for.

* * *

When she woke up the next morning, she rolled over and saw that she was in bed alone. She sighed and then rolled onto her back. At some point, Deacon had pulled the t-shirt up over her head, so she was naked in the bed. He'd been rough with her and she could still feel the soreness, but she smiled to herself, because she had taken everything he'd given her. She liked letting him take the lead, seeing where he would take them. She had missed lovemaking with Deacon when they weren't together. Everything between them was always so raw and stripped down. She always felt safe with him and like she could give every piece of herself to him. It was an intimacy she'd never known with any other man she'd been with, that complete giving up of herself, and he did the same with her.

The door opened then and he walked in with two mugs of coffee. She smiled when she saw him and he smiled when he saw she was awake. "You finally woke up," he said, sitting down on the side of the bed. She sat up, pulling the covers up around her, reaching for the mug he handed her.

"Mm, babe, just what I needed," she said, after she took her first sip of coffee.

He gave her a sly look over his own coffee mug. "You sure that's all you need?" he asked, setting his mug down on the bedside table. She smiled at him and then squealed when he reached out and pulled the covers down around her waist. He took the mug from her hands and set it next to his, then reached out and ran his thumb around her suddenly taut nipple, smiling back at her. "I think maybe you need a little more lovin', don't you?" he asked.

She laughed, feeling the tingle from what his thumb was doing to her radiate all the way to her core. "I think you're absolutely right," she purred and then she slid back under the sheets and watched him quickly pull off his t-shirt and shed his jeans. Then he put one knee on the bed and leaned over to kiss her. She reached up and pulled him down on top of her, laughing as she did.

 _I'm so happy to finally be marrying this man._

* * *

At the end of a quick lunch, Bucky got a call and he got up from the table, waving as he walked out. Rayna pulled her phone out of her purse and pulled up email. The wedding planner had sent her the latest updates and she was getting ready to respond when she heard her name. She looked up to see Luke Wheeler, standing two tables away. After a second, she smiled. "Hey, Luke."

He walked up, a smile on his face. "Nice to see you, Rayna," he said, putting his hand on the back of the chair Bucky vacated. "Mind if I join you for a sec?"

She almost said no, but then relented. "Sure. I need to leave in about ten minutes though."

He sat and chuckled good-naturedly. "I'm guessing you have your hands full, with all the Markus Keen mess," he said and she rolled her eyes. "And the wedding." He looked at her thoughtfully.

She looked away for a second, then back. "Yeah, there is that." She smiled apologetically. "To be fair, it's much smaller in scale than…." Her voice trailed off.

Luke shook his head. "No hard feelings, Rayna," he said. "He was always the one great love of your life. I always knew that."

She could feel herself blush. "Well…you know," she said, not knowing exactly what to say.

"I do wish you both the best," he said, leaning towards her. "And I was super glad to hear he came out of that cancer stuff okay."

She breathed out. That was safer territory. She nodded. "His sister came through just in time. He was really out of options at that point, so we were lucky." She raised her eyebrows. "I haven't seen Colt around lately. What's he up to?"

Luke looked down and started playing with a sugar pack, turning it over and over between his fingers. "Actually things have been a little tense between me and Colt lately." He looked at her and laughed a little, as though he was embarrassed. "He's been staying at his grandfather's. And I think he and Maddie just aren't into the same things right now, or something."

She wondered about that. "I guess I should ask Maddie," she said, surprised her daughter hadn't mentioned it. She breathed in. "I talked to Sadie the other day." She smiled.

Luke smiled back. "How's she doing?"

She thought she caught a softening to his expression when she mentioned Sadie. It made her think again about the fact they'd been together the night Sadie had shot her ex-husband. Maybe not 'together together', as Maddie would say, but the thought had occurred to her then. She thought Sadie, at any rate, would not have let it go anywhere, out of a sense of loyalty, but it wasn't as though she would have had any ill feelings about it. After the day of the aborted wedding, she had not looked back on that. But, of course, it no longer mattered, since she doubted Sadie would ever return to Nashville. She refocused her attention. "Good overall. She's back to writing some, although I still think she's struggling a little on that front."

Luke tapped his fingers on the table top. "You think she'll ever get back into performing?" he asked quietly.

She thought about that, then shook her head. "I doubt it. At least not anytime soon. Which is too bad, because she's amazing." He nodded solemnly. She shrugged. "Maybe she'll change her mind one day." She sighed, then slipped her phone into her purse.

He noticed and slid his chair out. "Listen, Rayna, it was good to see you." He smiled graciously. "I'm happy for you and Deacon. Hope everything goes smoothly."

She couldn't decide if he was being polite or sincere. It was awkward. Was every time they crossed paths, which thankfully wasn't often. But at least he was civil. She smiled. "Thanks. I appreciate that."

He stood, as did she, and he touched two fingers to his forehead. "Take care," he said and then turned and walked off, leaving her to stare after him.

* * *

On her way back to the office, she couldn't help but think about the differences between this wedding and the one she had planned with Luke.

There had been a wedding planner for both, but that was where the similarities ended. The wedding planner Luke used had planned something much more ostentatious and over-the-top than she was planning for her wedding to Deacon. Which was probably the biggest difference – she was marrying the love of her life this time and none of the spectacle mattered. What was it Tandy had said to her? _Just focus on the love. The way that he looks at you, the way that he talks to you. You love him. That's enough._ She made a face. Tandy hadn't realized then that she had set the wheels in motion for her to find the courage to make the break with Luke and everything else she was doing to try to forget that Deacon was really the only man who made her truly happy. When she'd figured that out, the rest, while it had not been easy, at least had been clear.

Just then her phone rang and she smiled when she saw it was Deacon. "Hey, babe," she said.

"Hey there. Just wanted to let you know Scarlett and Gunnar are set to sing at the wedding."

"Oh, that's so great. Thank you for taking care of that. Even if you did have to deal with Beverly."

"Well, they're excited to do it. And Beverly's just Beverly. Nothing new about that."

She smirked. "So, on another topic, did you know Maddie and Colt are maybe a little on the outs?"

"What? She ain't said nothing to me."

"Well, she's a teenage girl, my love, and she may not want to talk to her father about boys."

"I think I done all the talking to her about boy stuff I want to. That's definitely your department."

She laughed. She remembered how he'd made her promise never to leave that to him again, after he'd found them at his house. "Well, I happened to run into Luke at lunch today and he's the one who told me. I'll have to ask her about it."

"Luke, huh?"

"It was just for a minute. He wished us good luck."

"That was nice of him, I guess." He cleared his throat. "So I'll be home early tonight."

She raised her eyebrows. "Which means what?"

"Eight?"

She smiled. "That's not really early, babe, but I'll take it."

"Maybe you have on that t-shirt from the other night. The one with no panties." His voice had a teasing note to it and it made her feel warm inside.

She laughed. "After the girls go to bed, I'd be happy to do that." That put a smile on her face that lasted the rest of the day.

* * *

Rayna walked up behind Deacon in the kitchen and rubbed his back, still feeling the afterglow from morning sex. "Did you make coffee?" she asked when he turned to face her.

He smiled. "I did," he said. "But first things first." He put one hand on the small of her back and pulled her close, then leaned in to kiss her. She lifted her arms and wrapped them around his neck, tugging gently at his lip until he opened his mouth to hers. His other hand snaked up her back and his fingers got tangled in her hair as he pulled her closer. She luxuriated in the feel of his tongue against hers and the taste of him and his response. She was seriously considering pulling him back upstairs to bed.

Behind them Maddie cleared her throat. "Is it always gonna be like this?" They jumped apart and Rayna turned to face their daughter, while Deacon put his hands on her arms and held her in front of him. "Even when you're an old married couple?" Maddie smiled slyly.

Rayna breathed in and smiled back. "Maybe. Would that be so awful?"

Maddie shrugged. "I guess not." She smirked. "I guess you two have a lot to make up for."

Rayna glanced back at Deacon. "Yeah, I guess we do." He let go of her arms and she stepped towards Maddie. "So what's going on with you and Colt these days?"

Maddie's eyes opened wide with surprise at the change of topic, but then she shrugged and opened up the fridge. "Not much," she said, getting out a yogurt and walking over to the island to sit down.

"Well, I heard maybe y'all were on the outs or something."

Maddie frowned. "Where'd you hear that?"

"Luke. He also said Colt was living with his grandfather?" She and Deacon leaned against the island across from Maddie.

Maddie's face was neutral as she focused on her yogurt. "He's kind of been weird ever since he came back to Nashville. I don't know what's going on with him and Luke, but he's just gotten all closed off."

"Have you talked to him at all?" Deacon asked.

Maddie nodded. "I see him at school. We just haven't done much because he's living so far away now."

"Is he still coming to the wedding?" Rayna asked.

"Yeah, I guess." Maddie got up then and threw out the yogurt container. "I need to get ready for school," she said, without looking at them, and headed for the stairs.

Rayna looked at Deacon, with a frown, and noticed he looked concerned as well. " _That_ doesn't sound good, but she doesn't seem overly concerned," she said. "What did you think?"

He looked over her shoulder towards the stairs, then back. "I think it bothers her more'n she's letting on," he said. "Wonder what happened with him and Luke?"

She made a face and laid her hand on his chest. "He didn't say." She shrugged. "Maybe I'll talk to her later." Then she smiled. "I _would_ like that coffee now."

He reached over and picked up the mug he'd poured, then smiled apologetically. "I think it's kinda lukewarm," he said. "I'll pour you another." He poured out the old coffee, refilled her mug, and handed it to her.

She smiled. "Thanks, babe." She took a sip, then shrugged. "I need to get dressed, I guess." She put one hand on his chest and leaned in for a kiss. "I love you, babe," she said with a smile.

"Love you too, baby," he said with a smile, and she turned and headed for the stairs.

* * *

She walked into the restaurant and up to the hostess stand. "Hey, can I help you?" the young woman asked.

"I'm here for a private tasting," she said. "Rayna Jaymes."

The other woman's eyes widened as she realized who was standing in front of her. "Oh, yes, Ms. Jaymes, right this way." She scurried out from behind the podium and beckoned for Rayna to follow. Rayna couldn't help but think about the unwritten rule in Nashville about celebrities – treat them like normal people. She'd known that herself, growing up in the city, and it was one of the things she appreciated about Nashville now that she was a celebrity. She knew people still stared and sometimes surreptitiously took pictures, even approached now and then for an autograph or, more often these days, a selfie. But for the most part, she was just a regular Nashvillian and she appreciated that. The hostess stopped at a door, which she opened, gesturing for Rayna to enter. "Right here, Ms. Jaymes."

Rayna smiled. "Thank you," she said, and slid into the room. She was surprised to find Deacon already there. He stood up as she walked in and she leaned in for a kiss. "Hey, babe. I can't believe you beat me here."

He smirked. "You're a little late," he said.

She shrugged. "Well, we had some last minute details to cover about the California trip." She made a face. "I'm sorry I have to do that this close to the wedding." She was leaving in two days for a week long radio tour in California, something she hadn't done in decades. She wasn't singing, of course, but it was five days of interviews at both country and top 40 radio stations. When she came home it would be ten days before the wedding.

He squeezed her hand. "You gotta do this, Ray. I get it."

Just then Deb Paquette, the chef and owner of the restaurant, entered the room. "Rayna, Deacon," she said with a welcoming smile as she joined them. "Thank you so much for letting us do this for you."

"No, thank _you_ , Deb," Rayna said. "I know this isn't the norm for you and I so appreciate" – she gestured at Deacon – " _we_ so appreciate you making an exception." She squeezed the other woman's hand. "Etch is one my favorites, though, so this means the world to me."

Deb shook her head. "Absolutely. I'm honored." She made a sweeping gesture towards the table. "If you two want to sit down, we'll start bringing in some samples. We have several appetizers and then some scaled down entrée type items, a little heavier hors d'oeuvres, if you will. And I'll show you a couple fruit and vegetable choices that work well and are a little fancier than the typical fruit or veggie trays. All very sophisticated."

Rayna smiled. "That sounds amazing." She and Deacon sat where Deb indicated and then the chef left the room. She turned to him. "I'm so glad she's doing this for us. I think it helps that it's a small group, but her food is so wonderful." She bit down on her lip. "I want everything to be perfect."

He leaned in and kissed her. "It will be, baby," he said.

She felt herself get a little misty and she waved one hand in front of her eyes. "I'm sorry to get so emotional, but sometimes I wake up and I can hardly believe we're actually doing this, that we're actually finally getting married. That we're gonna wake up next to each other every day for the rest of our lives."

He breathed in and rested his arm on the back of her chair, brushing away a tear on her cheek with his thumb. "I been waiting for this my whole life," he said, his voice a little gravelly. "I want it all to be perfect for you."

She put her hand on his thigh. "For you too, Deacon. We _both_ deserve this." He nodded and she could see his emotions in his eyes. Then the door opened and a server walked in with a tray of samples.

"Y'all ready?" he asked and she and Deacon looked at him, smiled, and nodded.

* * *

She watched as he approached the bed and slid under the covers, reaching for her. She snuggled into his arms. "Babe, this was such a great idea," she said.

He kissed her. "You seemed like you needed a break," he said. "And to be pampered."

She smiled at him. When they had left the restaurant, instead of going home, he'd driven them to the Hermitage Hotel. " _Are we staying overnight? Because I don't even have a change of clothes." He winked at her. "I had Scarlett pack a bag. It's in the back of the truck." She raised her eyebrows. "But the girls." "Scarlett's staying with 'em."_ She rubbed his arm with her hand, thinking how he'd known just the right thing to do. How he was always trying to show her how much he loved her. "I like being pampered," she purred. "By you."

He pulled her closer and kissed her deeply. "I'm gonna pamper you all night," he whispered against her lips and she laughed softly. Then he reached down and touched her the way that always sent pleasure zingers through her body and he did not disappoint.

"Oh, babe," she moaned. "Please don't stop doing that." She gave herself over then to the pleasure, thankful that he did not, in fact, stop doing any of that.

* * *

A stray beam of sunlight played over her face. When she opened her eyes, she was momentarily disoriented, then remembered that Deacon had surprised her, after the food tasting, with a night in one of the Hermitage Hotel's luxury suites. She had her head on his chest and his arm was wrapped around her shoulders. Her leg was draped between his, the way they usually slept together. His breathing was deep and even and she could feel his heart beating beneath her cheek.

The sheet was down around his waist and she very gently traced the fading scar on his abdomen with her index finger. It was still noticeable, but not the way it had been in the first few weeks after his surgery. As she often did, when she thought about all that now, she felt both immense gratitude and an aching fear. She felt gratitude that he was here with her, recovering and well, and could expect a long, healthy life. But she still hadn't lost that terror she'd had, when she'd first found out about his cancer. As was her way, she had bolstered him and encouraged him and worked hard not to allow him to wallow in his own fear. It hadn't been until the day the news had leaked out to the public and she'd gotten the check she'd given Beverly back, torn in tiny pieces, that she had allowed herself to contemplate the very worst that could happen.

She had been scared. Scared she would lose him. Scared she had waited too long. And angry. At herself, for holding him at arms' length for so long, for holding back the truth that could have changed their lives so long ago. She'd had to be strong, for him, for Maddie, for everyone around them. There had been days when she'd wanted to shut herself up in her closet and let out all her anger, frustration, hurt, and fear. Days when the sadness and the inevitability and the darkness had threatened to pull her into a black hole.

She thought about when Dr. Rand had come to the waiting room to tell her that everything had gone smoothly, that both Beverly and Deacon had come through with no issues, and that Deacon would be okay. She had felt the weight of all those people she'd been supporting lift off her and she'd nearly collapsed right there, but Dr. Rand had reached out and steadied her, helping her to sit down. She still didn't feel completely relieved until she got to see Deacon in the recovery room and he finally opened his eyes.

She breathed out slowly, thinking that this scar, this jagged scar, would forever represent the fact that he was a survivor. That instead of leaving her, he was still here, would be here from this point on. And that in just a couple weeks, they would finally be married, the way it was always meant to be. There was so much history between them, so much music and love. She thought again about the album she wanted them to do together, giving them the opportunity to write music together again.

"What you thinking about?" he whispered, and she looked up at him.

"Did I wake you?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Nah." He nodded towards the window. "I think we forgot to pull the blinds."

She followed his gaze, then turned back and smiled at him. "Yeah, I think you're right." She flattened her hand on his chest. "I _was_ thinking about something though."

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in close. "Yeah? What about?"

She rested her chin on top of her hand. "I still want us to write our story, Deacon."

He looked up at the ceiling, then back at her. "What does that even mean, Rayna?"

She made a face. "The story of you and me, babe. Everything we went through to get where we are. To get back to us."

He worked his lip a moment. "Baby, we wrote a bunch of songs already about us. You really want to write painful stuff? 'Cause I don't think I do."

She frowned. "I'm not talking about writing painful 'stuff', Deacon. But we have a history and yes, there's struggle and disappointment, but there's also love all the way through it. That's what I'm talking about." She sighed. "I don't know why you don't understand that."

He ran his fingers over her shoulder. "Baby, you may remember it as that, but for me, it was different. I was watching you have everything we ever talked about, with someone else. I had to hold that in for a lotta years. I didn't always know" – he raised his eyebrows and tapped his chest with his other hand – "if you felt the same as me."

She thought about that. "I just think there's so much there, so much history, and, I don't know, maybe I'll surprise you. But even if it's different, I still think there's beauty in that. There was always love there, Deacon. Maybe you didn't see it, but it was always there."

He was quiet. She wanted to jump in and try to convince him, but she sensed that she needed to let him come to it in his own time. Finally he sighed. "Can we think about it after the wedding?" he asked, screwing up his face. "It ain't like we're gonna do it in the next two weeks, so can we just think about it?"

"Will you do that?" she asked. "Really think about it?"

"Why wouldn't I, Ray? I just said I'd think about it."

She smirked. "Well, you didn't exactly say that, but yes, if you'll think about it, we can talk about it after the wedding." She raised her eyebrows. "Maybe on our honeymoon!" Then she narrowed her eyes at him. "So where are we going on that again?"

He smiled at her then. "You're gonna have to wait," he said. "There has to be some surprise."

She smiled. "Okay, I'll let you have your surprise." She looked over in the direction of the bathroom. "I know we need to leave soon, but, babe, there's this fantastic tub in the bathroom. Why don't we take a nice, soothing bath?" She looked at him suggestively.

He made a face. "A bath? I ain't sitting in a bath." Then he grinned. "But I _will_ take a long shower." He kissed her. "And I promise to put a smile on your face that'll stay there all day."

She felt a thrill rush through her body. "I like the sound of that." He threw back the covers then and, grabbing her hand, pulled her out of bed. First he kissed her, letting his hands drift down over her body, touching her until she moaned in the back of her throat. Then he led her to the shower and delivered on his promise.

 _ **A/N: Thanks for the lovely reviews. Glad you're enjoying this.**_


	6. Chapter 6

Deacon pulled into the parking lot behind Etch and up next to Rayna's car. She turned to him and leaned in, putting her hands on his face, drawing him to her for a kiss. "That was an amazing night, my love," she said. "Thank you for arranging that."

He put his hand on the back of her neck and pulled her back for another kiss. "You been working hard, baby," he said. "I just wanted to do something nice for you."

She smiled. "I am so lucky," she said.

He shook his head. "I'm the lucky one."

She sat back in the seat and sighed. "I wish I didn't have to leave tomorrow," she said, looking glum. "But I'll be home early tonight."

"How 'bout I give you a back rub tonight when you get home?" he asked.

She smiled and tapped his arm. "That's a deal." She leaned in for another kiss. "I'll see you later." She got out of the truck and got into her car. She lifted her hand in a wave and drove out of the parking lot. He sat back against the seat and closed his eyes for a second, just counting his blessings that she was back in his life. For good.

* * *

When he came out of the shower, she was sitting on the bed, her glasses on and papers in her hands. She looked up and smiled, then set both the papers and her glasses on the side table. "So you're sure you're good with managing the girls for five days?" she asked.

He let out a short laugh. "Baby, it ain't like you're gonna change your plans if I'm not. Anyway, they're teenagers. They're mostly self-sufficient, right?"

She stretched her legs out in front of her and put her hands on her lap. "You're right." She made a face. "That's probably why I have so much trouble with Maddie. I forget she's not a baby anymore."

He leaned against the door jamb. "No, she ain't."

She smiled sweetly at him. "But you're so good with her, you know, babe? I think that's the thing I've loved watching so much. How the two of you just figured it out and came together and you became her father, just like you'd been born to it."

He nodded. There were still times – not often – that he would think about all those years he'd known Maddie but not known she was his daughter. There was a time when he'd thought he could never forgive Rayna, a time when he thought they might be irretrievably broken because of it. But after some time had passed and they'd figured out where they fit into each other's lives again, he'd decided the love they had was stronger than the pain they'd caused each other. He'd done terrible things and so had she. He could have turned away just because it was hard, but he'd decided it was worth working through. And now they were less than two weeks away from getting married. "I don't know about that, baby," he said then. "I still make mistakes."

She frowned and sat forward slightly. "Don't do that, Deacon," she said.

"Don't do what?"

"Don't act like you're not capable. You always talk like all you ever did was disappoint me or mess up and that's just not true." She swung her legs over to the side of the bed and got up, walking over to him. "Babe, you have the biggest heart. You always have. And we all make mistakes, we all get it wrong sometimes, but you just always get back up and keep trying. It's one of the things I've always loved about you." She smiled then and put her hand on his cheek. He could feel tears in the corner of his eyes. "You _are_ the man I always knew you were. The man I always knew you could be. Don't you know by now that there's really nothing you could do that would make me think less of you?"

He tried to speak, but the words wouldn't come out of his mouth. So he reached for her, pulling her into his arms and he kissed her. Her lips parted and he deepened the kiss, pulling her closer to him, running his hands up her back. When he finally pulled his lips from hers, he could hardly breathe and he could see she was the same. He leaned his forehead against hers and took a deep breath. "All I wanna do is love you," he whispered.

She had her arms around his waist and she looked deep into his eyes. "I've always loved you, Deacon. I can't remember not loving you. Ever." She stepped back and slid one hand down and took his. Then she turned towards the bed. "I'm going to show you," she said, then turned back to face him. "Tonight I'm going to show _you_ just how much I love you."

He stood rooted to the floor as she let go of his hand and then she slowly lifted up her t-shirt and pulled it over her head, tossing it on the floor. She reached her right hand over to touch her left breast, letting it linger there for a moment as she looked at him through her eyelashes. He felt himself respond to her, wanted to reach out and touch her too, but he waited. She moved her hands then to the waistband of the shorts she had on and she slid them down over her hips, doing a little shimmy as she did. When the shorts were in a puddle around her feet, she stepped out of them. He felt his breath catch as she stood there, naked and gorgeous in front of him. He heard himself groan as he looked at her. She stepped towards him then and reached for the towel that was wrapped around his waist, tugging it until it fell on the floor. She breathed in sharply as she saw how ready he was for her.

It took all his self-control, but he waited. She took another step forward and took him in her hand, stroking him until he closed his eyes and growled deep in his throat. He heard her soft laughter as she released him, then took his hand. He opened his eyes and she was smiling at him. She pulled him towards her and then pushed him back onto the bed, crawling in after him. She hovered over him on her hands and knees, her hair trailing down over her shoulders. He reached up and tangled his fingers in her hair, tugging at her slightly. She laughed again, that low, husky laugh she used when she was very aroused. Then she slowly lowered herself until she had taken him fully inside her. He put his hands on her hips and she leaned down and brushed her lips against his.

"Oh, God, Ray," he murmured and he let himself be taken over by the way she made him feel. He was pretty sure he was the luckiest man in the world to be loved by her.

* * *

He got up while she was in the shower and headed for the kitchen to make coffee. He saw her suitcases by the back door and missed her already. He reached in the cabinet and got his medications, then a bottled water out of the fridge. He tossed the pills in his mouth and downed them with the water. Then he poured a mug of coffee.

He turned when he heard her footsteps crossing the floor from the stairs. She had a softness about her face as she approached him. She put her arms around his waist and arched her back slightly as she leaned in. "Last night was amazing," she said, with a smile.

He put one hand on the back of her neck, threading his fingers in her hair, and kissed her. "Yeah, it was," he whispered against her lips. " _You_ were amazing."

She laughed softly and snuggled up against him. Then she sighed. "Will it really always be like this?"

He kissed her again. "If I got anything to do with it, it will."

She rubbed her hands up and down his back. "I don't know, babe. It's always kinda crazy with us, you know? But promise me, when we fight, we'll always make up at night like we did last night."

He grabbed her belt at the small of her back, pulling her against him. "I promise," he said.

She pulled away then, almost reluctantly. "You're sure you're good with the girls for the next few days?" she asked, as she poured herself a mug of coffee.

He leaned back against the counter. "Yep," he said. "How hard can it be to get 'em to school and then order pizza every night."

She smacked him playfully on the arm. "You are _not_ ordering pizza every night," she said, with a pout and a frown.

He laughed. "Only the nights we don't do Chinese take-out."

"Deacon!" she said.

He laughed harder. "Don't worry, baby. We got those casseroles you put in the freezer and Scarlett and Beverly's coming by tonight. We'll be good."

* * *

Maddie found him in the music room after school. "Hey, Dad," she said, as she plopped down on the couch next to him.

He put his guitar aside. "Hey there, sweetie. What's up?"

She smiled teasingly. "You working on that secret song?" she asked. He frowned. "The one for Mom?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

She shrugged. "Okay, I get it's a secret," she teased. "Are you working on something new?"

He rubbed his face with his hands and sighed. "Yeah, trying." He looked at her. "Your mama wants us to write together. Do a new record. So I'm trying some things."

She tilted her head. "Doesn't writing together mean, I don't know, that you write _together_? Like in the same room?"

He shook his head and smiled. "Yeah, I guess, but it don't hurt to come to the table with ideas."

"This is exciting. What kind of album? A duet album?"

He screwed up his face. "I don't know. Yeah, maybe. I still don't know if I wanna do it though."

She leaned forward. "Oh, Dad, you have to," she said excitedly. "You and Mom working on something together again? That would be awesome!"

He shrugged. "Maybe. We'll see."

"Well, I think it would be amazing, Dad," she said. Then she sighed deeply. "Why are boys so hard to understand?"

He felt a little like he'd suffered whiplash, as she changed the subject so completely. "I'm sorry, what?" he asked.

"Boys," she said, sighing again. Then she narrowed her eyes. "Colt. He's being so weird."

He tensed. This was so not his area of expertise. "How's he being weird?"

"He's just so inside himself. And he's not around, like after school."

"Uh, maybe he's got things to do."

She shook her head. "It just feels like everything's changed now." She looked down at her lap. "Like he doesn't think about me the same now."

Warning bells were going off in his head. _Why the hell is Rayna out of town_ _now_ _?_ "Now? As opposed to…when?"

She wouldn't look at him, just twisted her fingers in her lap. "Well, before Atlanta. And now."

"What happened in Atlanta?" She was silent. "Maddie."

She looked up at him then and he saw the hint of tears in her eyes. "So when you were with Mom, in the beginning, did it change how you thought of her?"

He felt nauseous. _Is she saying what I think?_ "I don't know what you mean," he said, dragging it out.

She spread her hands out. "Did you think differently about Mom because she was willing to…you know."

His mouth felt dry. He really did not want to be having this conversation with his daughter. But he felt like he needed to say something. He cleared his throat. "I, uh, I always loved your mama, Maddie. There wasn't nothing she could do that made me not. And everything we…did – do – we agreed on. It's always been like that."

"So you didn't push her away or think less of her?"

He shook his head. "Nah. But maybe you should talk to her."

She looked frustrated. "But I want _your_ perspective. As a guy. Is it normal for him to be so, I don't know, distant?"

He breathed in, trying to think of what to say. "Maddie, sounds like to me he's got stuff going on with Luke. From what your mom told me. I bet it has more to do with that than you."

She considered that. "You think so?"

He nodded. "I do, baby. I really do."

She finally smiled and reached over to hug him. "Thanks, Dad."

* * *

He picked up the phone as soon as it buzzed, putting the phone to one ear, the other in his pocket, as he walked into the butler's pantry so he'd have privacy. "Hey," he said, anxious to talk to her.

"Hey, babe, how's your day been?" she asked, sounding more relaxed than he'd expected.

"Rayna, I think Maddie and Colt had, you know, sex," he blurted out.

"What? Are you serious? Did she tell you that?"

He pulled his hand out of his pocket and ran it over his head. "Not just like that, but it was plain as day it was what she meant."

"What did she say, exactly?"

He was pacing, but he stopped, as he tried to remember what she'd said. "Well, she said Colt was distant, that he ain't talking to her as much." He cleared his throat. And she kept asking me if I, uh, thought less of you because me and you, you know. Had sex."

"Oh, dear lord, Deacon, when did this happen?"

He breathed in and looked over his shoulder to make sure no one was sneaking up on him. It wouldn't have been the first time one of the girls had walked up without him hearing. "Sounds like when she was in Atlanta." She was quiet on the other end of the line. "Rayna?"

"I wonder if Luke knew about this." Her voice was low and flat, so he could tell she was trying to keep her cool.

"I don't know, baby. Don't you think he would have said?"

She sighed. "Probably. That would certainly have been a bigger deal even than her singing on stage with Juliette." She paused. "What are we gonna do? I did not want this to happen to her. Not at her age. She should _not_ be having sex at sixteen."

He raised his eyebrows. "Ray, you came to my apartment when you were sixteen years old. And I know it didn't happen that night, but it didn't take long. You were sure in my bed at age sixteen. Having sex. And a lot of it."

"But just because I did doesn't mean she should," she said, sounding irritated.

"I think she already done it, though, baby," he said. "And I don't really know what to say. Seems like a mama kinda conversation." He rubbed his face. "I think I took care of it for now, told her it seemed like he was having trouble with Luke and that's why he was distant."

"Well, thanks for that." She sighed. "What are we gonna do, Deacon?"

He shrugged. "Maybe when you get back you talk to her. I mean, she knows we done that at the same age, so it ain't like you can say nothing different. Tell her the truth. Be honest with her."

"I guess I could, but it scares me a little. I don't want her to think we're okay with this, at her age."

"I think she knows that. But you can give her advice. You're good at that."

She laughed a little. "I don't know about that, but I suppose I could try." She sighed. "Why does this have to happen right before the wedding? I mean, I really don't have time for this, you know? And what do I tell her? I mean, I fell in _love_ , you know that. It was the real deal and I don't think that's what she has with Colt. I don't think most sixteen year olds have that. We were, well, I don't know what we were."

He smiled to himself. "Lucky. We were lucky. And it was meant to be."

"I want to tell her to wait, babe. To wait for the real thing, for the man who will really, truly love her. Not just any guy who _tells_ her he loves her. I know she's the same age I was, but her life has been so different from mine. I was making my own decisions by then. But I can't tell her that." She sighed. "When are our lives gonna be normal, babe?"

He laughed. "I'm pretty sure that ain't never gonna happen," he said.

"Probably not, but I'm just glad I'm doing it with you. I miss you, babe. So much."

"Is the trip going good, at least?"

"Yeah, but I'm ready to be home. Just two more days. And I will talk to her when I get back. I'll figure out what to say."

"I know you will, baby."

"Deacon?"

"Yeah?"

"What would I do without you?"

* * *

He and Maddie were tasting the casserole when she looked over his shoulder. "Daph!" she said. "Look! We're having silly noodle casserole that Mom left for us."

He turned to face a sullen-faced Daphne. "Yeah, no takeout tonight," he said, with a smile. "A family dinner."

She scowled. "We're _not_ a family," she said.

He breathed in. "'Course we are, baby. I mean, I know your mama's not here tonight but we can still do…."

"I know you want it to be that way, but it's _not_ ," Daphne said angrily. "I'm not hungry." Then she turned and stomped back up the stairs.

"Daphne!" Maddie called out as she hurried around the island.

He grabbed her arm. "Let me try," he said and Maddie nodded. He turned and followed Daphne up the stairs and stood outside her room. He knocked on the closed door. "Daphne?"

"I don't want to talk to you!" he heard her say.

"Please, sweetie," he said.

"Leave me alone!"

He hesitated, then finally decided he didn't want to force her. He wondered if something had triggered her outburst. While things hadn't been as smooth as he'd wanted, she'd never reacted quite like this. He sighed and went back downstairs.

* * *

"I just don't know what to do, Ray," he said to Rayna later that night. "Everything seemed okay until I moved in, then it didn't no more. And I don't know what was going on tonight."

"Well, you know, it was really rough on her when Teddy got arrested. She had such a hard time with that. It's really not you, babe. I hope you know that."

He rubbed a hand over his face. "But it feels like it," he said, feeling dejected. "I mean, I loved that girl since the day she was born and now I, well, I don't know anymore."

"I'll talk to her when I get home." She was quiet for a moment. "I'm gonna talk to Bucky and see if we can get the plane after the meet and greet tomorrow night. I may get in in the middle of the night, but then I'll be there day after tomorrow when she gets up."

"You don't need to do that, Ray," he said.

"Maybe not, but I want to. Now, tell me just how much you miss me."

He couldn't help but smile. Then he told her, in very graphic detail, just how very much he was ready for her to come home.

* * *

Deacon looked over at Daphne as she climbed into the passenger side of his truck after school. "Hey," he said.

"Hey." She glanced at him briefly, then looked away. She fastened her seatbelt and turned to look out the side window.

He watched her for a minute, not starting the truck. Finally he spoke. "I know all this stuff is confusing for you," he said.

She looked at him. "Not confusing."

"Well, it's something. I can tell." She looked away again. He waited a moment before speaking again. "You know I known you since you were born. Before that actually." She looked back at him and frowned. He nodded. "For most of the time that I known your mama I been in her band." He cleared his throat. "I know you know we were together before she married your dad." She nodded, but her face was carefully blank. He breathed in. "And then we were friends. So I was around when she got pregnant with you." She looked away again. He wondered if he'd be able to reach her. "She was really happy then, you know. She had a good life and she was happy. So I was happy for her."

Daphne looked at him again. "Okay," she said, as though she wanted him to stop.

"Daphne, I known you your whole life. And I loved you your whole life. I still do." She didn't say anything. "I know this is hard for you. I ain't trying to make it hard though. I love your mama. And you and Maddie. I want us to be a family."

She frowned. "But we're not. Not really." She hugged herself with her arms. "My family's gone."

He felt tears well up in his eyes. "That ain't true, Daphne. You know that. Your mama loves you so much. And so does your dad. And Maddie. And me." She looked down at her lap. "Sweetie, you know I love you. And I hate seeing you unhappy."

She looked at him, tears in her eyes. "I know you and Mom love each other. But it feels weird. Like my dad didn't mean anything."

His heart hurt over her pain. "Baby, there was never nothing between your mom and me when she was married to your dad. We was just friends then. I respected that she loved your dad – and she _did_ love your dad. I'll admit I loved her too, but she was totally committed to you girls and your family." He reached for her hand and squeezed it. "I love your mama with all my heart and I'll take good care of her. And you girls. I know I ain't your daddy though. I ain't trying to be. But I still love you, just like always. I hope you know that."

She looked down and he could see tears rolling down her face. "I miss my dad," she said, her voice sounding soft and sad, breaking his heart.

He reached out and put his hand on the back of her head. "I know you do, sweetheart. And that's okay. But I'm still here if you need me. I just want you to know that."

She didn't say anything for a few minutes, just sniffing occasionally. Then finally she lifted her head and looked at him. "I do."

He breathed in. "I'm just trying to fit in, you know? 'Cause you and Maddie and your mama, y'all been together a long time. I just wanna be like I always been. Someone who loves you and has got your back whenever you need it. Someone who cheers you on and is proud of everything you do, 'cause you belong to your mama."

She looked at him for a long time, then finally gave him the ghost of a smile. "Thanks," she said.

He leaned over and kissed the side of her head. "So I got some good news for you," he said.

"What's that?"

"Your mom's coming home tonight. She'll be here when you wake up."

She pulled back and looked up at him. "She is?"

He nodded. "She misses you. She wanted me to tell you that."

She gave him another tiny smile. "I miss her too." She breathed in deeply. "But I'm glad I have you."

He smiled, unable to say anything over the lump in his throat. He just started the truck and pointed them towards home.


	7. Chapter 7

Rayna opened the door carefully and stepped in. She closed the door and then slid off her shoes. She walked quietly to her closet and undressed using the indirect light from the bedroom windows. She fumbled around for a minute, looking for a t-shirt and finally just gave up and shrugged. She went back out and climbed into bed, sliding under the covers, hoping not to wake Deacon. She slid over carefully so that she was closer to him, but not quite touching, and then breathed out, happy to be home and in her own bed.

Just then Deacon rolled over. "You're home," he whispered, his voice sounding heavy with sleep.

She smiled and rolled onto her side, putting her hand on his cheek. "I am," she whispered back. "But it's very late, so go back to sleep, my love."

He slid his hand under the covers and reached for her, putting his hand on the small of her back. "You got no clothes on," he said softly, a hint of amusement in his voice.

She laughed quietly. "You're right," she said.

"Well, how can I go back to sleep when you got no clothes on?" he protested.

She ran her fingers through the hair on his temple. "I guess you don't have to," she said teasingly.

He leaned in to kiss her and she melted into the kiss, as he let her know wordlessly just how much he'd missed her. She ran her hand over his shoulder and down his back and slid closer to him. She moved her hand lower, until she reached the waistband of his shorts. She slid her hand under the waistband and over the skin on his hip. He pulled his lips from hers. "Ah, nah, baby, we're doing it my way tonight," he whispered, and she smiled in anticipation.

He deftly turned her so that she was facing away from him. She lifted her leg up and over his and moaned softly as she felt him tease her just a little with his fingers. "Babe, I'm ready now," she murmured.

As he pushed inside her, and she let out a satisfied sigh, his breath was warm against her neck as he whispered, "Welcome home, baby."

* * *

When the alarm went off, she groaned unhappily. It felt like she'd just fallen asleep, which was practically true. He stirred behind her, rubbing her abdomen with his hand and kissing her shoulder. "Stay in bed, baby, I'll get the girls to school," he murmured.

She frowned. "No, I want to see them. I've been gone so long and you've had to deal with all the messes. It's my turn. Plus I want to make sure I carve out some time for that talk with Maddie." She made a face.

"Oh, I did talk to Daphne yesterday, but maybe you need to talk to her too," he said.

She rolled over to face him. "You did?" she asked, feeling hopeful on that front.

He scrunched up his face. "Yeah, but she still seems a little, you know, distant." He sighed. "She misses Teddy."

She thought about that. "Well, of course she would," she said, then reached up to run her fingernails over his scruff. "I'll talk to her." She bit her lip. "Maybe I need to see if he'll see her again. I know he didn't want them to see him like that, but, I don't know, maybe it isn't just up to him."

He raised his eyebrows. "I bet she'd like that," he said.

She smiled at him. "You're such a good father, Deacon, you know that?" He looked unconvinced. "Really, babe, you have such good instincts." She flattened her fingers against his cheek and then brushed his lips with a kiss. "I am very tired, but I'm gonna take care of all this today." She kissed him again. "And then maybe a nap." She laughed. "I'm so glad to be home. And to know that, in less than a week, I'm gonna be your wife." She kissed him. "Your _wife_. Doesn't that sound amazing?"

He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close. "It sounds damn near perfect," he murmured. He kissed her back. But she didn't want it to stop and neither did he and then they ended up rolling out of bed much later than they'd intended.

* * *

She pulled up to the school and then looked over at the girls. "I'll see y'all this afternoon?" she asked.

Maddie nodded as she reached for the door, but Daphne shook her head. "I've got choir practice after school."

Rayna felt oddly sad. "Oh," she said. "Well, what time do we need to pick you up?"

Maddie was already out of the car and Rayna could see her heading up the steps. Daphne sighed dramatically. "Sonya's mom's picking us up," she said. Rayna frowned. "Deacon knew that."

Rayna raised her eyebrows. "Oh, okay then. Well, you'll be home for dinner?"

Daphne opened the car door and jumped out. "Yes!" she cried out as she slammed the door.

Rayna sat for a second, feeling like she hadn't had nearly enough time with her girls, and watched Daphne head up the steps, Maddie long gone. A tap of the horn behind her and she glanced in the rearview mirror at the mom behind her. She raised her hand in an apologetic wave and then drove off. As she headed out to the main road, she called Bucky. "Hey, Buck," she said when he answered. "Do you mind if I don't come in today? I really need some sleep."

He chuckled on his end. "You're the boss, Rayna. You can do whatever you like. We can handle things for the day."

She smiled. "You're the best. I'll see you tomorrow."

* * *

Rayna pulled into a parking space in front of the stairs at Percy Warner Park. Maddie looked confused. "Why are we stopping here?" she asked.

Rayna looked over at her daughter. "I just thought it might be nice for us to have some alone time. I feel like it's been so hectic with everything going on the last few weeks and" – she shrugged – "I feel like we haven't had time to just…talk." She opened the car door and looked back at Maddie. "Is that okay?"

Maddie nodded. "Yeah, sure." She got out of the car and fell in with Rayna as they walked up the path and started up the steps. Then Rayna sat on the rock wall and Maddie sat down next to her.

Rayna took Maddie's hand and held it for a moment. Maddie was uncharacteristically quiet. Rayna ran her tongue over her lips. "I'm just going to ask you, Maddie," she said, and Maddie looked at her. "Did you and Colt have sex?"

Maddie frowned and looked off. "God, do you and Dad tell each other _everything_?"

"You know we don't keep secrets, Maddie," – her daughter turned and gave her a side eye – "anymore." She had to acknowledge it. "And he didn't tell me that but I figured it out." She squeezed Maddie's hand. "I'm not going to be mad or lecture you."

Maddie looked a little unconvinced. "Well, you did when you were my age," she said, avoiding the question Rayna had asked.

Rayna breathed in. Maddie was so good at cutting through to the chase. "Yes, I did. You're right. Your grandfather wouldn't let me live at home and I went to your father's apartment. I lived with him pretty much until we broke up for good." She breathed in. "I was in love with him."

"I love Colt," Maddie said stubbornly.

Rayna nodded. She didn't think it was the same, but she also recognized that her situation wasn't the norm. It wasn't often you actually found your true love when you were only sixteen. "Sweetheart, I just want you to be careful."

Maddie frowned. "We are."

Rayna knew that might be as close as Maddie came to acknowledging it. "No, I mean, be careful with your heart. Sex, making love, is a really special act between two people. When you truly love each other and are committed to each other, it's beautiful." She breathed in. "What your father and I have is what I want for you. I know you may…experience this with others, but know that when you're truly in love and that man adores you, it will be special."

Maddie seemed to consider that. "How'd you know Dad was the one?"

Rayna smiled at her daughter. "I'll be honest. I knew I loved him right away, as you know, but it took a little longer to know that he was the man I'd love my whole life. And you know he and I took some detours, but he always knew me better than anyone." She smiled to herself. "I can be myself with him, show him the beautiful and the ugly, and I know he'll still be there. We did some awful things to each other, Maddie, but there was a trust there I've never had with anyone else. When you know you can have that level of honesty, it's just such a gift."

"That seems like it would be hard to find."

"It is. But it's so worth it."

Maddie looked pensive. "If that's how you felt about Dad, how come you couldn't work through it?"

Rayna sighed. "There were a lot of other factors, sweetie. I mean, he's an alcoholic and he was destructive, mostly to himself. Those were the days when he was still drinking, so everything was kind of heightened, or something. And so the time came when I couldn't keep holding him up. I loved him, but he needed to figure out how to do that on his own."

"Which is when you got pregnant with me."

Rayna raised her eyebrows and nodded. "Yeah, that was it. And that was truly the hardest thing I ever did. I'm not proud of the fact that I lied to him, but I was scared, not so much for me as for you."

Maddie looked curious. "Why me? Did you think he'd hurt me?"

Rayna shrugged. "It's complicated, Maddie." She sighed. "I know he would have loved you and would have wanted to take care of you. He would have done anything in the world for you, I believe. Or he would have wanted to. But an alcoholic isn't always dependable. And I needed to be able to count on someone to be there always. Your father wasn't in a position to be able to do that then. It even took him a while, after that last time in rehab, to prove he could do that."

"Why didn't you tell him about me then?"

Rayna swallowed over a lump in her throat. "Oh, Maddie, sweetheart, that's a hard question. I thought I was protecting you from what _could_ happen. It's a question your father has asked me and that I've asked myself. And the only answer I can come up with is that I gave you the best life I could. I gave you love and stability and _normalcy_. I didn't think about what might come later. And I'm so sorry about that." She breathed in. "But we've gotten away from what we came here to talk about. Or what _I_ wanted to talk to you about. I just really want you to find someone who thinks you are as amazing as your father and I know you are. And I want your experience to be like mine – with the man who truly loves you and makes you happy." She smiled. "I wish you'd waited. And just because I did it doesn't mean you need to. Or _should_." She took Maddie's hand again and looked into her daughter's eyes. "Don't let any man – or boy – make the decision for you, Maddie. Just because he says he likes you, or loves you, doesn't mean you have to do _anything_. You deserve to be happy and you get to choose what that means for you. Don't let someone else decide that for you."

Maddie looked like she might cry then. "Life is just so confusing, Mom. And Colt just acts, I don't know, like he doesn't want to be around me."

Rayna slid over and put her arm around Maddie, leaning her head on top of her daughter's. "Sweetheart, I know he and Luke are going through something – I don't know what – but I'm pretty sure it's not you. Give him some space and see what happens. Just know you don't have to wait for him or do what _he_ wants if it's not what _you_ want."

Maddie sat up and looked at her. "I don't know what I want anymore, Mom."

She smiled. "That's okay, sweet girl. You actually don't have to grow up all at once. Or right now." She reached out and smoothed Maddie's hair. "I had to be a grown up when I was sixteen and it wasn't always fun. In fact, it wasn't very often fun. I was on my own, having to try to figure out how to make a living, pay rent, buy groceries."

"But you had Dad."

She raised her eyebrows and nodded. "I did, but he was in the same place as me. We barely had enough money to keep our heads above water. And I do _not_ want that for you. He doesn't either. It's why I've wanted you to wait a little bit. I want you to give yourself some time. I know you want to grow up right now." She laughed a little. "Heck, you've wanted to grow up since you were a teeny tiny girl. But take your time, sweetie." She felt wistful then, thinking about how it had felt like her daughter was pulling away from her. She wondered if she would have still felt the same had her own mother not died when she was so young. She reached for Maddie and pulled her into a hug again. "I love you, my sweet girl," she said, feeling emotional. "And I only want the best for you." She smiled to herself as she felt Maddie returning the hug.

"I love you too, Mom."

* * *

Rayna was bent over her desk when the knock came at her door. She looked up and a huge smile crossed her face. She jumped up from her chair. "Watty!" she cried as she ran to hug her mentor. "I'm so glad to see you."

"Hope I can steal a little of your time, my little songbird," he said, his fond smile crinkling the corners of his eyes.

"Always," she said. She gestured to one of her guest chairs. "Have a seat." He sat while she closed the door. She sat in the other chair and reached for his hand. "It's been too long."

His eyes twinkled. "Yes, it has."

"How's retirement?"

He chuckled. "Very boring, as it turns out." She laughed. "I was actually in town to meet with Scott Borchetta about some mentoring opportunities with a couple of his newer artists."

"Well, that's what you do best," she said. "Like with Deacon and me."

"You two were certainly special," he said. He smiled. "I'm glad you two finally got things right."

"Me too. You'll be at the wedding, right?"

"Wouldn't miss it." He looked a little pensive. "That's your mother's land, isn't it?"

She nodded. "It is." She breathed in, looking at him curiously. "I've wanted to ask you something about her, although I'm not sure I want the answer."

He steepled his fingers under his nose. "If I can, I'll tell you."

She picked at a non-existent string on her pants leg. "Well, you told me that the night she was killed, she was leaving Daddy. Where was she going?"

He breathed in and closed his eyes. When he opened them, she saw sadness there. "We were supposed to meet at my house," he said quietly.

She breathed in sharply and felt a lump of emotion in her throat. "Were you leaving town?"

He shrugged. "We hadn't really talked about anything past her leaving. She was in kind of a fragile state, so I'm not sure what would have transpired."

She nodded and then took a deep breath. "Was she leaving Tandy and me too?" she asked, her voice almost a whisper.

He looked pensive, as though he was considering his words. Then he reached for her hand and held it tight. "Rayna, she loved you and your sister, more than almost anything in the world. And she stayed for a long time because of the two of you. She was so proud of you both." He breathed in. "But she knew Lamar loved you two girls too and she knew he'd take care of you both."

She breathed in. "Well, we know how _that_ turned out," she said grimly.

Watty gave her a half smile. "Rayna, he _did_ love you girls. I just think after Virginia died, he didn't really know what to do. And he was grieving too."

She debated saying something to him about her belief that Lamar had had something to do with Virginia's death, but decided not to air that piece of their family dirty laundry. "He just wasn't available, Watty," she said. "And when he was, he was just pretty unpleasant. It didn't feel very much like he loved us. Or loved _me_ , anyway. All he did was try to keep me from doing what I loved."

"Lamar Wyatt was a complicated man, Rayna. But you were asking about your mother and, no, I don't think she was leaving you and Tandy. But she wanted to get settled, find her place, and then I think her intention was to try to work something out. She would never have left you for good, that I know for sure."

She smiled a little and squeezed his hand. "Thanks for that." She felt tears in her eyes and reached up to brush them away. "I just, you know, I miss her so much," she said, hearing the shakiness in her voice. "Even now. I feel like I missed out on so much because she wasn't there."

He smiled at her gently. "I'm sure she keeps an eye on you, even now," he said. "I know she'd be very proud of all that you've done with your life and your career. She'd be very happy for you now." He breathed in and then sighed and that's when it occurred to her that he probably still missed her too.

She smiled sadly. "Thank you, Watty. That was just what I needed to hear."

He cleared his throat then and refocused his gaze on her. "I really came here to talk to you about that message you left me, about new music. For you."

She sat back in her chair and crossed her legs. "For Deacon and me actually. I want us to do an album together. We talked about it, for a hot minute, back before he had his surgery." She shrugged and smiled. "He acts like he doesn't remember that, but I think maybe he thought I wasn't serious. But I really haven't been able to get it out of my head. And, quite honestly, I need to put out new music. I've been so caught up in my other artists and with Deacon and his cancer that I just haven't done it. Haven't had anything to say."

"And now you do?"

"Well, at first I thought it was just that we'd write new music together, but the more I thought about it, the more I thought that we could write our story, you know, our truth about our lives together. All the good and the bad, the joy and the pain. How our lives are so entangled with each other."

Watty looked thoughtful. "How does he feel about it?" he asked, finally.

She made a face. "Well, I'm not sure. He kind of doesn't seem enthusiastic, but he did say he'd think about it."

"Might be a hard album for him to do, Rayna."

"He's not the only one who lived through all that, Watty, as you know." She bristled a little.

He shrugged. "I'm just saying you should think about it. He's the one who was the alcoholic and feels like he let you down all those times."

"Are you saying his pain is bigger than mine? Because I…."

He shook his head, waving her off. "Not what I'm saying. Just be open to hearing what he has to say. Don't be so quick to get angry if he takes some time to get used to the idea." He patted her hand. "Deacon loves you, Rayna. He's loved you most of his life and he's waited for you when most men wouldn't. Even through the worst of times, he's stumbled, but gotten back up and stayed the course." He waved a hand at her. "And quite honestly, you've kept him close, which says to me you never gave up on him. But the two of you have a lot of history, a volatile history, which you know is true. Be patient."

She breathed out. "As always, you give good advice," she said. She leaned forward and grabbed his hands. "What would I do without you?"

* * *

On the Saturday morning before the wedding, she and Deacon drove out to her mother's land. The ride out was quiet. It was a beautiful April day, just the tiniest hint of early morning chill in the air. The sky was a clear blue, no clouds in sight, and there was a very light breeze. She found herself hoping they'd be lucky enough to have weather like this the day of the wedding. When they pulled onto the land, she waited in the truck until Deacon came around and opened the door for her. He reached in and took her hand, helping her down onto the ground. Then he put his arm around her shoulders and she put her arm around his waist and they walked out towards the river.

There was a large boulder not far from the river bank, one that she remembered sitting on as a child. She led him to it and they perched there, turning their faces up to the sun. She turned to look at him and he looked down at her. "Do you remember when we wrote 'The Rivers Between Us'?" she asked.

He nodded. "I do."

"This is what I was thinking of. This place." She sighed. "I haven't been here in a long time and coming out here made me start thinking about my mom." She shook her head. "Not that I don't think about her every day, but it started me thinking about everything she's missed." He hugged her a little closer. "She never saw me sing at the Bluebird, or on the Opry stage, or win an award. She never saw her granddaughters. I sometimes think that if she were still here, she might have given me different advice in my life. Maybe I would've done things differently."

He leaned in and kissed her on the forehead. "Ain't no use wondering, baby," he said. "We still got here."

She shrugged. "I've wondered if she meant to leave us, you know? I talked to Watty about it today, when he stopped by, and he said she didn't. That she thought she was doing the right thing, letting us stay with Daddy until she could figure things out." She squinted her eyes as she looked up at him. "Made me think I'd done the same thing. All my life, I've tried to do the right thing, hoping I'd have time to figure things out. She never had time to do that and I guess maybe it makes me feel grateful I had the chance to make things right." She sighed. "We don't have to do that album, babe. I guess I never really thought about how it might make you feel. I just really want to write with you again, do something wonderful again."

He frowned. "We can do it," he said. She smiled. "I mean, we can do what you want. Write that album about us. If that's what you want, we'll do it."

She was surprised by that. "Are you sure?"

He nodded. "I always wanna write with you, baby. You're the best writing partner." He kissed her. "We'll do it." He smiled. "Maybe start on our honeymoon."

She grinned up at him. "So are you finally gonna tell me where we're going?" she asked.

He laughed. He'd told her he would plan their honeymoon, but he'd kept it a secret, wanting to surprise her. He shook his head and kissed her on the forehead. "Nope," he said. "You already know we're going to the cabin the first night, but that's all you're getting out of me."

She sighed happily. "I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you, babe."

He wrapped her up in his arms. "Me neither, baby," he whispered against her hair.


	8. Chapter 8

**Deacon**

Deacon pulled up in front of the house and parked, then got out and retrieved his guitar and messenger bag. He hustled up the steps and tapped on the front door. When Scarlett answered, he smiled. "Hey. Your mama ain't here, is she?" he asked.

She laughed, that tinkly little laugh she had. "No, she's at work. The coast is clear." She held the door open for him to walk in. She turned to look at him. "You want privacy?" She pointed towards the back of the house. "I can leave you alone."

He sat down and opened up his guitar case, taking out the instrument. He looked up at her then. "I think I just need some quiet," he said. "But you don't gotta go."

She hesitated a moment, then walked over and sat next to him on the couch. "I'm so happy for the two of you," she said, with a shy smile. He smiled at her. "You nervous?"

He breathed in. "Maybe. A little."

"You don't need to be. You finally got everything you ever dreamed of, you know? The most beautiful love story."

He laughed a little. "It ain't always been beautiful, you know that, Scar."

"But it's been worth it in the end, right?" He felt a little unexpectedly emotional and he nodded, not trusting his voice. "I know there's been hard times, but the two of you are finally gonna have everything you ever dreamed of."

He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, and nodded. "Yeah, but I can't help but wonder…." He breathed in again and turned his head toward her. "I thought we had it all before and the bottom falls out. And I just don't wanna disappoint her again."

She frowned. "Why do you think you'd do that? She loves you, Deacon. I see it in her eyes every time she looks at you. When you walk in a room, she can't stop looking at you and there's a softness about her then, that you never see with nobody else. You're the love of her life."

He could feel the tears and he pinched his nose, trying not to cry, especially in front of his niece. "I just don't want nothing to go wrong."

"And it won't." She gently tapped her hands on her legs. "So y'all going to the cabin after the wedding?"

He appreciated the change of topic. He sat up straight then and smiled. "Yeah. Seemed like the right place for the first couple nights. Just us and no phones or nothing."

She smiled happily. "And then where?"

He gave her a look. "Ain't telling," he said. "She's been trying to get it out of me and the girls have too, but it's a surprise. Someplace where she can be pampered, though, the way she deserves."

"I know she'll love it."

He sat back against the couch. "She wants us to write together."

She clapped her hands together gleefully. "Oh, that's amazing, Deacon. Y'all write such beautiful songs together. How long's it been?"

"Well, we done 'This Time' together, but other than that, it's been a while."

"I'm so glad she's gonna go back in the studio. It's been a while for that too, for her."

He nodded. He didn't really want to get into the concept album idea Rayna wanted. He was still trying to wrap his mind around that, to think about it the way she wanted to do it. He'd played around with something that he thought he'd share with her after the wedding, to see if he was on the right track. He looked at Scarlett then. "Turns out maybe I do wanna be alone. If that's okay."

She gave him a conspiratorial smile and jumped up. "I will leave you to it. I gotta run to the grocery store anyway." She started for the door, then turned back. "Mama won't be back til around three, so you got plenty of time."

He smiled at her as she picked up her purse and headed out the door. Then he unpacked his messenger bag, pulling out his notebook. He set it on the couch next to him and picked up his guitar, settling it on his lap. He picked at the strings for a minute, trying to work through a melody that had been in his head for the past several days. He focused on the chorus, the part of the song that had taken several days to craft exactly the way he wanted. He went through the chords first, then went back and added the lyrics.

 _The sky is made from empty space and stars / Our love is made from lonely broken hearts / And the only thing that keeps us from being gone / Is that we're damn good at holding on_

 **Rayna**

Rayna was glad Cash was picking up Maddie for a writing session, since it gave her some alone time with Daphne. She had contacted Teddy to see about bringing Daphne by for a visit, knowing it would make their daughter happy to see her father. Not unexpectedly, Teddy had been reluctant and she'd had to push.

" _Rayna, I've told you before, I don't really like the girls seeing me in a place like this," he'd said, sounding testy._

 _She sighed. "I get that, Teddy, but you're just going to have to get over your own embarrassment about this for our daughter's sake."_

" _Why now? Aren't you busy with your wedding?" He'd sounded almost like he was using air quotes when he said wedding, which irritated her._

" _Yes, actually I am busy with that, but I also care about our daughters and, quite frankly, Teddy, Daphne needs to see you."_

" _She's not happy about the wedding, I take it."_

" _That's not exactly it, but she is feeling a little bit left out. Not that she should, but I think she's really feeling the fact that you're not around and Maddie's father is."_

 _She could almost see the smugness on his face. "So what is it that you're thinking I can do? Tell her to let Deacon be her dad? Because that's not going to happen, Rayna."_

 _She clenched her jaw. "Don't be ridiculous, Teddy. You're Daphne's father. You'll always be Daphne's father. But Deacon is going to be a big part of her life, because she lives with us. And he loves her. The same way you love Maddie. Why can't you just be happy for both our girls that they have all these people in their lives who love them and care about them? Why does it have to be such a pissing match between you and Deacon? And really, it's_ _you_ _who can't seem to get past it. Why can't you just think about what's best for Daphne?"_

" _I_ _do_ _think about what's best for Daphne," he said tersely._

" _Well, it doesn't feel like it. Deacon has always loved Daphne, and you know that. I just need you to tell her it's okay for her to love him too." Teddy was silent on the other end. "She doesn't need you to be uncooperative, Teddy." She sighed. "You're not losing her. You're just giving her permission to accept him into her life too." She waited._

" _I don't want her to feel like an outsider," he said, finally._

" _I've tried to be honest with the girls about your situation without tearing you down. We're a family, Teddy. We were their whole lives, you know? And you were a good husband and a great father. That's still true." She breathed out. "Let him be there for them, especially for Daphne. Don't make her feel like she has to choose. Please, Teddy."_

 _After a long pause, Teddy finally responded. "You can bring her, Rayna. And I promise to let her know it's okay to…you know."_

 _She smiled on her end. "Thank you, Teddy."_

In the end, the visit went well. Daphne felt better, after seeing him, and he told her it was okay to let Deacon take care of her for a while. As she and Daphne walked out to the car, her daughter turned to her. "Thanks, Mom," she said.

Rayna put her arm around Daphne and pulled her close. "Anytime, sweetie. I know it's hard and I'm so sorry that it is."

"Did you love my dad?"

Rayna stopped and looked down at Daphne. "Of course I did," she said, with a tiny frown. "Don't ever think I didn't." She smiled. "He gave me you, didn't he? I'll always love him for that." Daphne smiled back and she hugged her daughter. "Sweetheart, I don't want you feeling left out of _anything_. You're an important part of this new family we're building, but your father will always be your father. That won't ever change."

* * *

Daphne was quiet on the way home. Rayna reached over and squeezed her daughter's hand. "You know Deacon loves you, right?" she asked quietly. Daphne looked up at her solemnly. "He's always there if you need him, sweetheart. I hope you know that."

Daphne sat back in her seat and looked out the windshield. Finally she said, "Yeah, I do know that."

Rayna glanced over at her. "I want you to tell me if you're ever feeling on the outside again."

Daphne looked down at her hands. "Deacon said _he_ was the one coming into the family," she said.

Rayna smiled. "Well, that's true. And I know he wants to fit in with us." She breathed in. "You seemed like you were happy when he moved in. What changed?"

Daphne shrugged and looked over at her. "Nothing, I guess. I like Deacon. I _love_ him, really. Maybe if Dad was still around." She looked off. "I guess that's what changed."

"Well, unfortunately we have to deal with it. But if you want to see him again, I'll work it out. I don't want you to feel like he's not still part of your life."

Daphne looked at her and nodded. "Okay." Then she smiled a little. "I _am_ glad you're marrying Deacon, Mom. You seem happy."

Rayna smiled, but felt the hint of tears in her eyes. "I _am_ happy, sweet girl. And Deacon is just one more person in your life who loves you so much. He's adding _to_ your life, not taking away."

For the rest of the ride, Rayna felt like Daphne was happier and she was glad she had insisted to Teddy that he see her. She promised herself that she wouldn't let her daughter feel out of touch with her father in the future. As much as she wanted to build a strong family with Deacon and her girls, she needed to always remember how important Teddy was, not just to Daphne, but even to Maddie. She breathed out, feeling better about both her girls and where they were. And then she thought about Deacon and how he'd really grown into the role of father, to Maddie and even Daphne. She was proud of him and it just made her love him more.

 **Deacon**

Deacon was in the music room when Maddie came in. "Hey, Dad," she said.

He looked up and smiled. "Hey. You just get home?"

She walked around and plopped down on the couch. "Yeah," she said. "So where's Mom?"

"She took Daphne to see Teddy."

Maddie looked surprised. "Really?"

He nodded. "I think she was feeling kinda like she was on the outside and I think she really just needed to see him." Maddie looked pensive. "You wishing you coulda gone?"

She looked at him and shook her head. "I'm good." She sighed. "I guess I'm not paying enough attention to Daphne. I should've seen that."

"Don't feel bad. I think she tried keeping it to herself. Anyway, me and you are on our own for dinner. Your mama's going to the airport to pick up your Aunt Tandy on the way home." He was not exactly looking forward to a couple days with Tandy in the house, but he knew the girls would be excited.

She eyed his guitar. "You working on a song?"

He shrugged. "Just playing around with some chords."

She smiled teasingly. "Did you finish the song for mom?" He frowned and she laughed. "Are all your songs about Mom?"

He lifted his chin. "Most of 'em." He smiled a little. "Yeah, pretty much all of 'em are about her."

She smiled. "She told me you wrote 'A Life That's Good' about her before you ever knew her."

He was surprised. "She told you that?"

She nodded. "Yeah. She said you were sitting at the Bluebird watching her sing and that you were inspired by her."

He laughed a little self-consciously. "Well, I guess that's pretty much true," he said.

"What did you think of her when you first saw her?"

He thought back on that night. "I had gone by to watch the open mic – me and your Aunt Bev didn't make it that night – and when she got on stage, I thought she was pretty as a picture. She looked a little nervous, I remember, and she had that guitar she gave you." He looked up, as he saw it in his mind's eye, and smiled. "But when she started singing, well, she had the voice of an angel. I didn't know she was as young as she was, 'cause she seemed so sure of herself."

"Did you fall in love with her right then?"

He looked back at her and shrugged. "Pretty close." He sighed. "'Cept I had a girlfriend when I first met her."

Maddie perked up. "You did? What was she like?"

He shook his head and laughed a little. "Total opposite of your mama." He shook his finger. "She was pretty though. But not as pretty as your mama."

"What was her name?"

He thought about that a minute. "I can't say as I remember. I bet your mama would though, 'cause she don't forget nothing." She laughed and he gave her a look. "Maybe don't ask her about it though right now." He winked.

"So when did you start dating Mom?"

"It was a little while. Watty was the one who got us to work together and it didn't take long after that before I didn't have a girlfriend no more." He laughed. "But I was nervous about asking your mama out, 'cause I knew she coulda done better than some kid from Mississippi."

Maddie smiled. "She said she fell in love with you the first time she saw you."

"She does tell that story," he said, with a chuckle.

Maddie had a dreamy look on her face. "I think it's such a great love story. That you two found each other back then and have loved each other ever since." She tilted her head to the side and got a serious look on her face. "Did you always think you'd get together again?"

He sighed. "Truthfully? There was times I wasn't sure. I made it hard for a lotta years and then, well, you know, she was married to Teddy and had you girls."

"I hope I can find someone to love like Mom loves you," she said.

He reached over and pulled her into a hug. "I hope you find that too, sweet girl," he said. "You deserve it."

When she pulled away, she looked at him with a smirk. "So are we gonna order Chinese?" she asked.

He grinned. "I thought you'd never ask." And then they got up from the couch and walked out to the kitchen together.

 **Rayna**

Rayna opened her eyes as the sun started to trickle through the curtains. She smiled to herself as she felt Deacon's hand graze her shoulder. She turned her head, resting her chin on his chest. He was looking at her with an amused look in his eyes, his other arm crooked behind his head. "What?" she said.

He grinned. "You talk in your sleep, you know that?" he asked.

She raised her eyebrows. "No," she said. "Do I?"

He nodded. He moved his other hand and wrapped her up in his arms. "You very definitely do." He ran his knuckles over her shoulder. "I remember you doing it sometimes after we been out a bunch of days in row. When you were tired."

She smiled. "Well, I will admit to being tired. This has been a pretty hectic few weeks, you know." She frowned. "So what did I say?"

He looked up as though he were trying to remember. Then he looked back at her, the amusement back in his eyes. "Bunch a stuff about pie versus cake and your dress getting dirty and if you needed a nightgown or nothing at all."

She could feel herself blush, then she sighed. "Oh, lord, all these decisions are just running together. So many questions – still – about wedding details. My head is spinning, Deacon, just spinning."

He chuckled. "Well, only thing I care about is that you don't need no nightgown." He reached up and ran his fingers over her hair. "Just wastes time taking it off."

She made a face and lightly smacked him on the arm. "I thought you liked that part though," she countered.

He grinned. "Oh, I do, but you ain't gotta wear one. I'm just sayin'." Then he pulled her over on top of him and she bit down on her lip as she felt how very ready he was for her. He looked up at her and she could see all his emotions playing across his face. He breathed in. "Like right now, baby," he murmured. "You're perfect right now."

She leaned down and kissed him, then adjusted herself, sighing deeply as she took him in. This was one thing she thought she would never get tired of and then she let herself get lost in the exquisite sensations of lovemaking with her man.

* * *

Rayna was sitting at the island, drinking coffee, her mind still on early morning sex, when Tandy walked down the stairs. She focused on her sister. "How'd you sleep?" she asked.

Tandy walked to the coffeemaker and poured herself a mug. "Surprisingly well, considering the time difference." She looked at Rayna. "And your girls wanting to talk my ear off." She smiled.

"Well, they've missed their Aunt Tandy," Rayna said. Tandy got up on the stool next to Rayna's and Rayna reached for her hand. "So have I."

Tandy squeezed her hand and then took a sip of her coffee. "Maddie said you and Deacon are working on an album."

Rayna waved her hand. "Not yet. We've been talking about it and Deacon finally agreed to it, so we'll do it after all the wedding stuff."

Tandy frowned. "You had to talk him into doing music with you?"

"Not so much doing music with me. I want to do a concept album, about us. About our love story. Over the years." Tandy raised her eyebrows. "It's a little daunting. For both of us, truth be told. I kind of got caught up in it and he had to kind of bring me back to earth a little bit on what it meant. But we're together now on it." Rayna raised her eyebrows. "So you're going with me to pick up my dress this morning, right?"

"Of course." Tandy winked. "As long as you'll try it on for me first."

Rayna smiled. "Yes, I can do that. Can you be ready in an hour?"

"If I run back upstairs right now, I can." Tandy slid off the stool. "Let me go get dressed." She started for the stairs, then turned around and came back, pulling Rayna into a hug. "I can see you're happy," she said, looking at her sister intently. "And if you're happy, I'm happy."

Rayna smiled. "I _am_ happy, Tandy. For the first time in my life, I'm really, truly happy."

Tandy breathed in. "Okay, then, let me get dressed."

Rayna sat with her coffee and watched her sister head back up the stairs. She knew Tandy was probably covering up her true feelings about Deacon and the wedding, but she had decided to be gracious about it. The last thing she wanted, or needed, was dissension and disagreement. She wanted the wedding to be perfect so she and Deacon could get married happily. Having both Tandy and Beverly there could be tricky, but she was keeping her fingers crossed she and Deacon could manage their siblings. _There's just nothing that's gonna ruin this day for us. If I have to lock them both up to make sure of it, I will._

 **Deacon**

Deacon practiced his vows, yet again, in front of the mirror, as the tailor worked on the final alterations to his jacket. It had been a long time since he'd actually worn a real suit. In fact, he wasn't sure he could remember the last time, but he'd promised Rayna and he would do anything to make this day special for her. He looked at Frankie in the mirror. "You'd think I could remember these, wouldn't ya?" he asked, with a smile.

Frankie smirked. "I think you could say 'Humpty Dumpty' to her and she'd still say yes," he said, with a chuckle. "Don't worry if you don't remember 'em exactly. You'll say the right thing when you're standing in front of her."

Deacon breathed in, feeling some butterflies in his stomach. "I got two days," he said. "Well, three if I count the wedding. I might be saying 'em in my sleep."

Frankie laughed. "You might wake up already married then."

Deacon grinned. "That might be easier." He breathed in. "She's going out to get her dress today, so I gotta figure out a way to get a suitcase packed for her without her noticing what's gone."

Frankie raised an eyebrow. "And where you taking her?"

Deacon raised an eyebrow in response. "Ain't telling you, brother. Just like I ain't told nobody else, well, 'cept one person. The one's gotta get us there."

"You sure she's gonna be good with a surprise?"

"This surprise, yeah, I think so." The tailor tapped his shoulder to let him know he was finished and Deacon turned to face his friend. "She knows we're going to the cabin that night, but I'm gonna mix it up a little and we'll stay one more night. Then we'll head to the real honeymoon." He unbuttoned the jacket and shrugged it off. "She deserves to be spoiled, so I'm gonna spoil her." He couldn't wait to whisk her off on a dream honeymoon.

 **Rayna**

When Rayna walked out of the dressing room, Tandy gasped. "Oh, sweetheart, it's just gorgeous," she said.

Rayna walked in front of the mirror and ran her hands down the bodice to the skirt, smiling. "I'm happy with it," she said. "It's the dress I've always dreamed of."

"Really?" Tandy looked surprised.

Rayna nodded. "It is. I can remember lying in bed at night when I was a teenager, thinking about what my wedding would be like." She sighed happily. "Almost everything about this wedding is exactly what I dreamed of back then."

Tandy raised her eyebrows. "Almost?"

Rayna shrugged, the smile fading a bit. "Well, except that it just took so damn long. And that my first wedding wasn't the right one." She caught Tandy's eye in the mirror. "Not that Teddy was really a bad husband, or choice, at least in the beginning, but it wasn't my fairytale wedding."

Tandy stood and walked over to her, putting her hands on Rayna's arms, gazing at her sister in the mirror. "I know you've always thought you and Deacon had this magical once in a lifetime love story," she said pensively. Rayna frowned. "I'm just saying, sometimes it takes time to get it right. I know you've been through a lot…."

"We both have," Rayna said firmly.

Tandy nodded. "Yes, you both have. But here you are, finally getting married. I just want it to be everything you've dreamed of, sweetheart. With no complications."

Rayna looked at her for a moment, trying to decide if there was some hidden meaning or agenda behind her sister's words, but decided to shake it off, and just accept it at face value. She put a smile back on her face. "It will be," she said. "I'm sure of it. I'm marrying the love of my life, Tandy. No matter what we went through – and yes, we went through some really tough times – he's just always been there. He's always been in my heart and now I get to spend the rest of my life with him. I feel like the stars have finally all aligned for us. I know there've been storm clouds for us over the years, but this is the perfect storm. Everything the way it was meant to be."


	9. Chapter 9

**Deacon**

It was late when he walked in the house. It had been his last night to work before the wedding and honeymoon. He'd finalized all the details for the honeymoon surprise, but he'd felt surprisingly melancholy as he'd done so. He couldn't help but wonder if the near-chaotic whirlwind of the past month was getting to him. He set his messenger bag down on the counter, along with his keys, and then headed for the back stairs.

When he got to the top of the stairs, he headed down the hall, first past the girls' rooms, then to the bedroom he shared with Rayna. When he opened the door, he saw her sitting cross-legged on the bed, looking down at her phone. She looked up when she heard him and set her phone down on the bedside table. "Hey," she said, with a smile.

He closed the door. "Hey," he said.

She frowned slightly. "You okay?" she asked.

He nodded, then walked around the bed and headed for his closet. "Busy night," he said.

She watched him as he walked into the closet. "Deacon?" He heard a note of concern in her voice as he took off his jacket and slid off his boots. He walked back to the door and looked at her. "You sure you're okay?" She turned on the bed to face him.

He nodded again. "Yeah, I'm good," he said, and ducked back into the closet to take off his jeans. When he came back out, she looked alert, sitting forward, her hands clasped in front of her. He tried to ignore her, pulling back the covers.

"Deacon," she said, with that tone that warned him she wasn't going to leave this alone. He stopped and looked at her. Her face softened then. "What's going on, babe?"

He breathed in and then he sighed. "You sure we can do this?"

"Do what? Be together? Like we were meant to be?" She raised her eyebrows. "Yes, I do think we can do that."

"Well, you were the one asked that question…."

She waved him off. "Not as a way to get out of this."

He frowned. "I ain't trying to get out of this, Rayna." He breathed in sharply. "But you don't never wonder why it took so long for us to figure this thing out?"

She shrugged. "I don't know, babe. I guess, sometimes, but you and I both know we've got a very long history and it hasn't always been pretty. It took a lot of ups and downs and taking all kinds of different paths to get us here."

He took a step forward and turned on the bedside lamp on his side of the bed. "That's just it, Ray. It was like the damn universe was standing in our way." He made a face. "And you think that just all changed. What about the last time we tried?"

She looked off to the side. "You know what happened then," she said softly, then turned back to look at him, sadness rimming her eyes. "The truth about Maddie." He instantly felt a lump in his throat and looked down. "And it took us some time to get past that." She sighed. "I think it says a lot that we got through that. Figured that whole thing out. Because that wasn't a given, as you well know." He looked back at her and she shrugged. "You would have had every right to have never forgiven me, Deacon. I don't discount that for one minute." She breathed in. "I don't think I was really appreciative enough of that in the moment."

"Rayna, I…."

She shook her head. "You are the heart and soul of our lives, babe. You've always been. And I know it hasn't always been the way we wanted and I get that you've paid the price for that a lot more than I have." She reached her hand out then and he breathed in, then took her hand, letting her pull him onto the bed until he was sitting across from her. "I don't want you doing that thing you do sometimes, where you think you don't deserve to be happy. You do. More than probably anyone I know." She smiled a little and he couldn't help but smile back at her. "I know our lives have been messy, a lot of the time. But I would never want to do any of this without you. You know that, right?"

He leaned in then, putting his hand behind her neck, pulling her in for a kiss. Then he leaned his forehead against hers. "Baby, we both done stuff," he said, his voice sounding a little raspy to his ears. He sat back then. "I thank God every single day we figured this out. I'm the luckiest guy in the world." He shook his head. "And I know our lives together have been messy, mostly 'cause of me." He took her hands in his. "I just don't wanna disappoint you."

She smiled at him encouragingly. "I don't think we can help but disappoint each other sometimes, my love. But what I love most about us is that we work through it." She reached up and put her palm against his cheek. "Sometimes we argue and fight, sometimes we cry, sometimes we beg and ask forgiveness, but it's always beautiful at the end, because we know how much we love each other." She rubbed her thumb against his cheek and he suddenly felt overcome with emotion. "You know, I told Maddie that the best thing about us was that we could always be real with each other and what a gift that is."

He felt the tears rise up in his eyes and he laughed. "Yeah, you're right about that. Everything we been through, all the hurt and pain, it got us here. We worked through it all, you're right about that." He smiled. "And there ain't nobody I'd rather do any of this with, good or bad." He put his hands around her waist and leaned in to kiss her. "In two days, I'm gonna get everything I ever wanted," he said.

She rose up on her knees and moved towards him, settling herself on his knees and winding her arms around his neck. "We both are," she said with a smile, then kissed him.

All he wanted right then was her and he tipped her onto her back, hovering over her for a moment. Then he lowered himself on top of her. "Let me show you how much I love you, baby," he murmured. "How much I always loved you."

She laughed, a low, husky sound. "Yes, please," she whispered. And so he did.

 **Rayna**

She was suddenly wide awake. She turned her head to look at the digital clock and closed her eyes, groaning silently. _3:42 AM._ She sighed. She had not slept at all well, wedding details still nagging at her, and she was afraid now she'd be awake for the duration. She turned her head back and looked over at Deacon. He was laying on his side, with his back to her, and she smiled to herself as she watched his slow, even breathing.

 _I'm getting married tomorrow. To the love of my life. The man I've wanted to marry since I was sixteen years old. Who would ever have thought true love would last that long? Hell, who would ever have thought you could even find your true love at sixteen? Before you even know yourself?_ He'd just always been there, though. She found it hard to remember sometimes that she hadn't known him until that fateful night at the Bluebird, when he had approached her shyly and told her how good she was.

She hadn't told him then that she had noticed him the previous time she'd been there, had fallen in love with the way he played a guitar, the sound of his voice, the deeply sensitive look in his eyes and on his face. She had felt things she didn't understand that night. Things that had caused her to have dreams that had woken her up, her heart pounding and her mouth dry, feeling a throbbing between her legs. It would have scared her, except that it had felt deeply satisfying in a way she wouldn't know until she was actually in his bed.

She closed her eyes then, thinking about how infinitely better her life always was when Deacon Claybourne was in it. He was her heart and soul, the beginning and the end, and, no matter what, the one person she never wanted to live without again. She sighed deeply and finally fell back asleep.

 **Deacon**

The sky was just starting to brighten and the room got marginally lighter. He opened his eyes and breathed in. He was laying on his back and she was curled up against his side, the back of one hand pressed against his side and her foot draped over his. He smiled to himself. This bed was a big bed and yet, most of the time, they slept pressed up against each other some way.

Back when they had first lived together, in that dumpy studio apartment in a sketchy area of East Nashville, all they had was a twin bed. Practically a cot, it was so small and uncomfortable. So they were forced to sleep basically clinging to each other. Not that he'd minded that. When she first came, he'd let her sleep on the bed and he slept on the couch, which was really more like a loveseat and was lumpy and even more uncomfortable than the bed. She had felt bad about that and offered to switch, but he wouldn't do it. So when she had invited him to sleep in the bed _with_ her, he'd known what she really wanted.

It was obvious, from the first time he'd met her, that she was naïve about most things that had to do with relationships. He'd had experience, of course, but he took his time with her, didn't push, made sure he was gentle. He didn't want to scare her. He remembered talking her through that first time, step by step, letting her get used to everything he did. It had been worth the effort, for sure. He'd been surprised, though, by his own feelings afterwards. He had already told her he loved her – and he did – but he hadn't expected to wake up the next morning and feel like she was the person he would love for the rest of his life.

She had been though. He had known their lives would be forever connected and it had been true. But he'd spent the first half of their lives together making hers miserable and she had spent the second half doing the same to him. It felt kind of like they were even. They'd done terrible things to each other, truly, but they'd still always clung to each other, the same way they had in that twin bed years ago.

He wondered sometimes if, when she had kicked him out that last time, it would have stuck, had she not gotten pregnant. Or maybe they would have done the same thing they'd always done and he would have disappointed her over and over again until…well, until he'd finally died. He swallowed over the lump in his throat. That didn't feel good. _So maybe we needed all the rest. So I could figure out how to get outta that dark hole and she could let me._

They'd be getting married the next day. He'd wanted to marry her back when they were still together, but she would never agree to it. _If you can stay sober for a year, then we'll talk about it._ He never managed to stay sober a year. So it never happened. _Until now._

He thought about what she'd said the night before, about the fact that they would probably continue to disappoint each other. He liked that she said they'd always work it through. That would be the part they'd really never done before – worked together to make the relationship work. They'd be partners, real partners, for the first time. He smiled as he thought of that.

He breathed in and gently curved his arm around her, trying not to wake her. She frowned slightly, made a little noise and then settled back down. He closed his eyes, reminding himself he was the luckiest man in the world, and slowly fell back asleep.

 **Rayna**

"So we going straight to the Bluebird after?" Deacon asked.

She was putting on her makeup and caught his eyes in the mirror. "Yeah. They're having some finger foods and drinks first, then dinner." She put on her lipstick. "Plus we don't want to be out too late." She smiled. "I don't know about you, but _I'm_ getting married tomorrow and I need my beauty sleep."

He smiled back and walked over, then leaned against the wall, watching her. "You'll be beautiful no matter what, baby, you know that," he said.

She began taking the curlers out of her hair. "Well, that's sweet, babe, but I really do need to get enough sleep so I don't have bags under my eyes." She looked up at him. "Speaking of bags, I can't find my blue suitcase. You know, the one I usually take with me on the bus."

He raised an eyebrow. "Really? You sure you looked?"

She made a face. "Did you take it?" She gasped. "You packed for me? Are you serious? Deacon!"

He held his hands up. "Don't worry. I packed a nightgown."

She picked up a brush and started brushing out her hair. "I don't wear nightgowns."

He smirked. "Then you don't gotta worry then," he said. He pulled out his phone. "We gotta leave in five minutes, baby. You gonna be ready?"

She pretended to be offended. "Yes, I am." She got up from the vanity. "I just need to change clothes."

He rolled his eyes. "I guess we're waiting another hour then," he said, a teasing smile on his face.

She reached out and swatted his arm. "I don't take that long," she said.

He reached for her, pulling her into his arms and kissing her. "Not unless I keep you busy doing something else," he murmured against her lips.

She laughed softly, running her hands over his shoulders. "Are you planning on distracting me?" she asked.

He ran one hand down her back, landing on her bottom. Then he pressed her close to him. "What do you think?" he whispered in her ear.

She squealed. "I think I'm gonna end up having to reapply my lipstick," she said, with a laugh, letting him push her backwards towards the bedroom.

* * *

She looked in the mirror and brushed her hair back, pinning it up and out of her face. She leaned over the vanity and reapplied her lipstick. Then she threw it into her clutch bag and Deacon grabbed her hand, pulling her out into the hallway. They were laughing as they hurried down the back stairs. Tandy and the girls were sitting in the den and they looked up when the two of them rushed in, both a little breathless.

"What took you so long?" Maddie said, a frown on her face. "You made such a big deal out of us being ready and now the two of you are late."

Rayna just looked at her daughter and was glad that Deacon saved the day. "She had to change dresses four times," he said, looking perturbed. " _That's_ why we're late." He squeezed her hand and she laughed.

 **Deacon**

They sat on the chairs in the front row and listened while Lane outlined the ceremony and what everyone would do when. Rayna held his hand tightly and he would smile at her occasionally. This was a big step and he was feeling a little jittery. It wasn't that he didn't want to marry her, because he did. It was just that it was so important and he'd almost given up thinking it would ever happen for him. For them. He wanted it to be perfect, just like she was.

The weather was perfect. Warm, very light breeze, the sun was shining and the river glistened. It was supposed to be the same the next day, which was good. He didn't want any dark clouds spoiling their day, including the dark clouds of his past and all the disappointment he'd caused her over the years. He breathed in deeply and she glanced over at him, frowning ever so slightly. He gave her a little smile to let her know everything was okay and her forehead smoothed out and she smiled as well.

"Okay, everybody, let's walk through it, just like that," Lane said.

He stood and took Rayna's hand as she stood up as well, laughing just a little. He smiled. "You ready for this?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

She grinned. "So ready." She let go of his hand and headed for the back of the rows of chairs.

He stood next to the judge and looked down the aisle at her, standing there holding her hands together in front of her, as though she were carrying a bouquet of flowers. Even from as far back as she was, he could see her eyes on his and he knew she only had eyes for him in that moment. He tried to imagine her in a white dress, looking more beautiful than he thought he'd ever see her. He smiled to himself as he thought about their conversation about the dress earlier.

" _You want to see it?" she asked, as she headed for the closet with the dress bag._

" _Ain't that supposed to be bad luck or something?" he said._

 _She wrinkled her nose and shook her head. "I don't believe in bad luck."_

 _He grinned. "Well, still, why don't you let the dress be a surprise?"_

 _She hung the dress on a hook on the closet door and walked over to him, putting her arms around his neck and leaning into him. He put his arms around her waist and pulled her closer, kissing her. "We'll wait then," she said with a wink. "You have a surprise. So I guess it'll just be_ _my_ _surprise."_

He did want to wait. He wanted his first glimpse of her in that dress to be as she stood there, ready to marry him. They'd done so many other things in their lives out of order, it was one thing they could do by tradition. So he watched as she walked towards him, a smile on her face, joining him in front of the judge. Lane walked them through the ceremony, which would be simple, with the two of them exchanging vows they'd written for each other, along with rings.

They practiced the dip. It wasn't the first time, but he didn't want to mess that up. After Lane wrapped up the plan, he heard Tandy from behind them. "And then we all head over to the reception and have a nice stiff drink," she said, standing up. He turned and looked at her, knowing that was her way of expressing her continued displeasure about the marriage. He let his eyes drift past Tandy to Beverly, who had a tight smile on her own face as she gave him an almost imperceptible nod. He felt his jaw clench. _Rayna don't need this._

* * *

Rayna was pulled aside by Lane, with a few last minute questions. He steeled himself and then walked over to where Beverly was standing. He gave her a smile, even though she looked up at him with disdain. "You gonna tell me what's bugging you?" he asked, trying to remain pleasant.

She pursed her lips angrily and crossed her arms over her chest, looking off in the distance. He waited her out. She looked back at him. "So I get it, why Scarlett and Gunnar are singing at the wedding," she said, her voice clipped with irritation. "They're on Rayna's label, so she needs to take care of them." Her tone of voice indicated the opposite, that she didn't understand at all, that she was still pissed. "But then I find out those girls are singing tonight." She sighed dramatically. "You just don't want me to do anything, do you, baby brother?"

He breathed in, trying not to let her get under his skin. "That's not true, Beverly," he said. "It ain't a contest. And those girls are Rayna's daughters, as you know, and they wrote a song for us."

She huffed and then threw her arms out. "Why am I even here then?" she said, sounding whiny and petulant.

He frowned. "You're here because you're my sister and because I want you to be," he said. Then he raised his eyebrows. "But if all you're gonna do is complain, maybe you _don't_ belong here." He took a step closer. "It's a big day, for me _and_ for Rayna. I know she ain't your favorite person, but you ain't gonna ruin this for her."

She narrowed her eyes and shook her head. "I don't know why you do this, Deacon," she said. "She has jerked you around for all these years, lied to you about your daughter, and when you get sick, she finally decides to stick around."

He grabbed her arm and pulled her closer, scowling at her. "This don't have nothing to do with me being sick, Beverly," he said angrily. "You know our history. She was being cautious."

She looked at him for a second, then laughed nastily. "Cautious? Really? That's what you call it? She just didn't want you dragging her down, little brother. She tossed you aside a long time ago but you just sat around and waited for her…."

He pulled her close to his face, almost ready to slap her. "Beverly," he hissed menacingly.

"Hey, y'all, what's going on?" Rayna's voice came from behind him and he recognized that she wasn't just asking to be pleasant, but because she'd seen something she didn't like. He let Beverly's arm go and she took two steps back, sneering at him.

He turned and looked at Rayna, smiling a smile he knew she'd know was fake. "Just talking about how things are gonna go," he said.

Rayna narrowed her eyes just a bit. "You sure? 'Cause it didn't look quite like that." She flashed what he knew was one of her performance smiles at Beverly. "We're just glad you're here to celebrate with us, Beverly."

Beverly smiled a less practiced fake smile. "Of course. Where else would I be? My baby brother's getting married, my daughter's singing in the wedding, and my niece is singing at the rehearsal. Just a family affair." She smiled again, wrinkling her nose just slightly, then turned and walked off.

He watched his sister head towards Scarlett and silently apologized to his niece. Then he turned back to Rayna, who was frowning. "Please tell me we're not gonna have any fighting between the two of you," she said.

He breathed in and raised his eyebrows. "I ain't fighting, but I can't control Beverly," he said.

She smiled then, but it didn't reach her eyes. "You're gonna need to figure out something then, babe," she said. "Because I don't want anything – or _anyone_ – to spoil this day." She then turned and walked over to the girls. He stood, watching, as she put an arm around each of them and they walked off together. He sighed.

 **Rayna**

"So how you girls doing?" Rayna asked, looking back and forth between Maddie and Daphne. She wanted to be sensitive to each of them, especially Daphne, as the wedding approached. She wanted them both to be excited – and she was sure Maddie was – and not feel left out of things. She was also wary of Tandy being around them and what her sister might say, or _not_ say.

Daphne looked up with a frown on her face. "Why are we doing this so far away, Mom?" she asked.

Rayna raised her eyebrows. "I told you, sweetheart. This was your grandmother's land and she loved it here. Your Aunt Tandy and I used to come out here with her when we were young and it's just a really special place." She smiled. "Plus it's private."

"It is really beautiful, Mom," Maddie said and Rayna turned to her with a smile. "Such a romantic place."

"Well, I think so too," Rayna replied. "Just the perfect place for a wedding. And I'm so glad it's supposed to be a nice day tomorrow too." She looked around then. "Where's your Aunt Tandy?"

"Oh, I think she went ahead to the car," Maddie said, pointing towards Rayna's SUV.

Rayna set her jaw, hoping this didn't mean her sister was going to be difficult. It wasn't just Beverly she was worried about. Tandy had never been shy about sharing her feelings about Deacon – and they were mostly negative – and she wasn't interested in playing referee at her own wedding. She was glad Beverly was riding to the rehearsal dinner with Scarlett and Gunnar. She looked over her shoulder and saw Deacon standing along the edge of the river, not far from where they'd practiced. She looked back at her girls. "Y'all go ahead and get in the car," she said, putting a smile on her face. "Looks like I need to go get Deacon to head our way. Okay?"

Maddie nodded. "Okay, Mom," she said, with a smile. She and Daphne then headed to the car and Rayna turned back and walked towards her fiancé.

He was standing right along the bank, his hands in his pockets, his shoulders rolled forwards. She approached him and put her hand on his back. He turned to look at her, but she couldn't read his expression. "You ready?" she asked.

He nodded. "Yeah." He breathed in, then pulled one hand out of his pocket and took hers. "I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't let her get to me, but…."

She shook her head and smiled ruefully. "You and I were blessed with very challenging sisters, babe." Then she chuckled. "Or maybe I should say cursed." That got a smile from him. "We'll survive it. Hell, they're the _least_ of our worries, I'd say. They're just unhappy and we don't have to let them bother us." She put her other hand on his face. "I'm getting ready to marry the love of my life. I'm sure not going to let _my_ sister or _your_ sister ruin that for me. Are you?"

He looked at her for a second, then leaned in and kissed her. "No, I am not." He put his arm around her and grinned. "Let's go to that rehearsal dinner, okay?"

She put her arm around his waist and laughed happily, letting him lead her back to the car.

 **Deacon**

He did not really understand the whole rehearsal dinner thing. Not even a little bit. There were people here he didn't know and he really just wanted to go home with Rayna. It reminded him a little bit of going to after parties with her. She would flit around the room, a smile on her face, her hands waving in the air, chatting up everyone in the room. He could remember following behind her, standing close by to make sure she knew who everyone was, and then letting her do all the talking. It had been a long time since he'd been on after party duty and he had not missed it at all.

He looked around the room. These were her people, not his people. He was back in her world again, in that place where he'd often felt like he didn't belong, like he was an interloper. She had been raised in this world, filled with wealthy, connected people. She'd married someone from this same world – Teddy – and she hadn't missed a beat. Luke Wheeler wasn't exactly from this world, but he was successful in his own right. He sighed. He just felt out of place.

He finally walked over and sat back down at their table. He didn't know why he felt anxious, but he did. It wasn't that he wasn't happy, because he'd never been this happy in his life. And it wasn't that he wasn't sure marrying Rayna was exactly what he should be doing, because he did. Nothing had ever felt more right than this. But he didn't want to disappoint her and he supposed that was something he'd never quite been able to stop feeling, even after all these years. It was hard to get used to the idea of things actually, finally, working out the way they were supposed to. He poked at the piece of pie at his place.

"How come you're not socializing with your guests?" He turned to see Beverly sit down next to him.

He shrugged. "You know I ain't good with small talk. Never have been." He smiled a little. "I skipped every after party I could. Talking up people just ain't my thing, like it is Rayna's."

She surprised him by smiling, her face softening slightly. "You always were kind of to yourself, that's true," she said. She sighed, then got a melancholy look on her face. She looked at him. "You ever think what might have happened had we had a normal childhood? With normal parents?"

He looked at her and swallowed. "Sometimes," he said. "I try not to think about it much, 'cause there ain't much we can do about it."

She put her hand on his arm. "We had a tough life. It made us who we are. Made us angry at each other, I guess, when we shouldn't be." He thought he caught a glimpse of tears in her eyes. "It wasn't our fault, Deacon," she said quietly, so quietly he almost missed it.

He put his hand over hers. "No, it wasn't," he said. He sighed. "I'm sorry you feel like I left you."

She shrugged and looked away. "You were right. I did have a choice." She looked back at him, a hardness back in her eyes, although he sensed it wasn't directed at him. "I was just scared, I think. Scared to leave what was familiar, which is crazy. Scared to fail." She gave him the ghost of a smile. "You did the right thing, getting out, even though all that darkness followed you anyway." She breathed out. "And I know his sickness is buried down inside you, just like hers is in me." She looked at him again. "It wasn't our fault."

He shook his head. "No, it wasn't," he said again. "It was just a terrible thing to do to kids." He breathed in. "Maybe it's good I didn't pass that to Maddie."

She nodded thoughtfully. "Maybe so. I sure did pass the crazy to Scarlett. I know that. I never meant to, you know."

He nodded. "I do know, Bev. You done the best you could." He felt that old anxiety start to take hold. He didn't like to think about how they grew up, the parents who'd damaged them, the demons they both had carried with them. He breathed in deeply, trying to remind himself he'd come out of that. The fact that he was in this place, getting ready to marry Rayna, was proof of that.

She smiled, a bigger smile. "I'm glad to be here, Deacon. With you and with Scarlett. Things weren't so bad in Biloxi, since he left, but it's better here."

He reached over and hugged her. "I'm glad you're here too," he said, meaning it.

"Hey, everybody," Maddie called out then and they both turned to look up at the girls, standing on the riser. "It's so cool to be celebrating in the very room where the bride and groom first met." He smiled proudly as he looked up at the girls. "Anyway, my sister and I wrote this especially for tonight, because they are finally getting married."

Tandy took her seat on the other side of Rayna's empty chair, giving him a look that said she wasn't thrilled. He tried smiling at her, but she didn't return it. He was grateful when Rayna came back and sat down next to him, giving him an encouraging smile, and then taking his hand in hers under the table. He felt some of the anxiety start to fade away.

 **Rayna**

She hurried down the back hallway to the restroom, but the door was closed. She waited, not particularly patiently, tapping her foot as she did. When the door opened, she was a little surprised to see Tandy come out. "I didn't know you'd come back here," she said to her sister.

Tandy gave her a look. "Was I supposed to ask permission?"

Rayna frowned. "Are we going to be unpleasant with each other?"

Tandy raised her eyebrows. "I'm not being unpleasant."

"You're not exactly being pleasant though. You hardly spoke to Deacon." She sighed. "I thought you were okay with all this. That you'd accepted it."

"I've made my peace with it." She waved her hand impatiently. "But he _has_ hurt you, Rayna. A lot. And you know that. Maybe you can forget all that, but I can't." She took a deep breath. "I know you believe the two of you are this magical, meant to be couple, and I'm trying to stay out of it." She took Rayna's hand. "I meant what I said. All I want is for you to be happy. I will always want that."

Rayna looked at Tandy and wanted to believe that. She didn't know if it was just the emotions of the past few weeks, getting ready for this wedding, but she didn't want anything to get in the way of this being the happiest day of her life. "I just need you to be a hundred percent invested in this, Tandy. You don't know how important that is to me right now."

Tandy breathed in deeply and then gave her sister a little smile. "Rayna, you're my sister, and I love you more than anyone else on this earth. I will never think any man is good enough for you and I will always keep my eye on Deacon to be sure that he never hurts you again. If he's the man you love, and I know that he is, then I support you. Both of you." She reached for Rayna's hands. "I love you, Rayna," she said softly. "You're all I have. I only want you to be happy."

Rayna reached out and pulled her sister into an embrace. "Thank you," she whispered. Then she stepped back and waved at her wet eyes. "Now I _really_ need to use the bathroom before we go home," she said, with a laugh, and Tandy smiled and stepped aside, letting her go past.

 **Deacon**

He pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her, feeling her arm around his waist and her leg draping his. "So you s'pose tomorrow's gonna go off without a hitch then?" he asked her.

She looked up at him. "God only knows, but at least they both seem to be in a good place," she said.

He breathed in. "You sure? 'Cause I kept thinking maybe aliens had abducted Beverly," he said.

She laughed. "Maybe abducted them both." She turned in his arms. "You know what though? I'm not sure I care. If they stay this way through tomorrow, then I'm good."

He raised his eyebrows and shrugged slightly. "We can hope, I guess."

She grinned up at him, reaching up to run her fingers through his hair and then down over his cheek, finally tapping him on the chin. "We're finally doing this."

He grinned back. "Yeah, we are."

She moved her hand and ran it up his back. "Tomorrow's the wedding, then off to the cabin and then…?" She gave him a teasing look.

"Still not telling you," he said, with a laugh.

She chuckled. "Well, I tried." She snuggled closer. "Maybe I could get a wedding night preview though." She winked at him.

He kissed her. "I think we can definitely do that," he said, rolling her onto her back.

 **Rayna**

Deacon was already asleep and she was almost there. She gazed at his profile in the dim light and felt a momentary ache in her chest. It had been a long ride for the two of them. But she truly didn't want to finish their lives apart. _He's the best man that I know. He's loving and kind and generous, he truly wears his heart on his sleeve. And I know he'd do anything for me and for the girls. He's the man I want to marry, really the only man I've ever truly wanted to marry. I'm just so grateful we've gotten here. Finally._

She breathed out and smiled to herself as she snuggled in a little closer. He twitched his mouth and seemed to sigh in his sleep. And then she closed her eyes.


	10. Chapter 10

**Rayna**

When she woke up, Deacon was looking at her. She smiled. "How long have you been awake?" she asked, snuggling in a little closer.

"Not too long," he said. He put his arm around her waist.

She put her hand on his chest, then let her finger gently trace his surgery scar. "Tandy's in charge of breakfast, so we don't have to get up right away."

"You sure? Can she cook?"

She laughed. "I think she said something about placing an order at Noshville."

He raised his eyebrows. "Ah. That makes more sense." He breathed in. "So what time we gotta go?"

" _I'm_ going to go over about noon. You don't have to go that early." She made a face. "We have a couple trailers there. One for you. One for me and the girls."

"Do I need that?"

"Unless you want to change clothes outside, I'd say yes," she said with a wink. "Anyway, as long as you're there and dressed before two, we're good."

"Everybody else gotta be there at two?"

She nodded. "Yes." She looked behind her at the clock, then back at him. "It's just before nine. Shall we have some wedding morning sex, my love?" She smiled.

He grinned back at her. "I like that idea," he said, rolling towards her.

She put her hand on his chest to stop him. "Actually I was thinking about killing two birds with one stone," she purred. She slid away from him towards the edge of the bed and looked back at him. "Join me in the shower?" she asked playfully. She got up and headed towards the bathroom. He caught up with her when she was halfway there.

* * *

The water was streaming down her back as she steadied herself with her hands on the shower wall. He had one hand next to hers, the other splayed across her stomach, as he thrust in and out of her. She breathed in and out in the same rhythm.

"Come for me, baby," he whispered in her ear and she shivered, despite the warmth of the water. She pushed back against him, her legs feeling a little like they might collapse under her. She was right on the edge.

She lowered her head, the water streaming over her hair and down her shoulders. "Harder, babe," she said softly. She reached down between her legs and then cried out with her release, rising up on her toes. "Oh, God, Deacon," she cried out, letting herself roll with the waves of pleasure crashing all around her.

"Oh, Rayna," he shouted and then he collapsed against her back, wrapping his arms around her as they both fought to catch their breath. He nuzzled her neck. "God, baby, you're so good," he murmured.

She smiled, putting her hands over his and leaning back against him. She turned her head towards him. "I learned it all from you," she said softly. "You inspire me."

He chuckled softly. "You inspire _me_ , baby," he said, his voice low and seductive. "I wanna do everything to you."

She closed her eyes and rubbed her back against him. "I sure do like the sound of that," she murmured. Then she sighed. "But I guess we need to get out of here and get something to eat."

He turned her around in his arms and kissed her. Then he smiled. "I promise there'll be more of that tonight," he said, raising one eyebrow.

She grinned. "I can't wait."

 **Deacon**

He walked up behind her as she was brushing her hair, putting his hands on her arms. He leaned in and kissed the back of her head. "You ain't getting no butterflies, are you?" he asked, with a smirk.

She put the brush down and turned around to face him. "Not even one," she said, with a smile. She ran her hands over the collar of his shirt, then smoothed them down his chest. "I'm hungry though. I figure we need a little something before everything gets going. I'll be too excited to eat once we get to the property." She leaned slightly towards him and he would have sworn there were stars in her eyes. "Thank you for waiting, babe," she said softly.

He put his hands on the small of her back. "You were worth the wait," he said. Then he leaned his head back, closing his eyes. "You hang on tight to something you can almost see." He opened his eyes and looked back at her.

She had a surprised look on her face. "That sounds almost like a song, babe," she said.

He made a face and shrugged. "It might be," he said. "Could be." He breathed in. "Your love is like a ghost I can't get my hands around." He smiled a little. "Maybe."

She looked thoughtful, then tilted her head a little to the side. "Did you ever think about someone else maybe being…the one?" she asked. He heard a touch of melancholy in her voice. "Like maybe you didn't want to wait anymore?"

He scrunched up his face and shook his head. The thought of it left a lump in his throat. "Not really," he said. "They weren't you, Rayna."

"I know," she said quietly. "But I wanted you to be happy. I sometimes worried you wouldn't be happy."

He kissed her on the forehead. "I wasn't never gonna be happy if I wasn't with you." Then he frowned. "We shouldn't be talking like this on our wedding day."

She smiled then. "You're right. We should only talk about happy things." She grinned happily. "Like chocolate chip griddle cakes." Then she laughed, the sound that always made him happy.

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and turned her towards the door. "We better go see about those griddle cakes then."

 **Rayna**

She was packing up a small bag to take with her to the property when Deacon came in the bedroom. "Hey," she said, stopping what she was doing.

"Hey," he said, walking over to her and giving her a kiss. "You leaving soon?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Lane took my dress and everything, including what I'll change into afterwards. I'm just putting together some stuff for me, for before I get dressed." She reached into the bag and pulled out a box, holding it out to him. "I still have this," she said, looking up at him.

He frowned, taking the box from her. When he opened it, she heard him breathe in. He looked back at her and she saw the hint of tears in his eyes.

"I suppose we could have used it somehow, but I thought maybe it was a better idea to start fresh," she said, her voice quiet. He nodded. "I thought maybe I'd give it to Maddie someday." She shrugged. "Or keep it."

He held the ring in the palm of his hand, then looked up at her. "You mean what you said, back when you gave this to me?" he asked. "That you kept it…."

"Thinking we might need it some day?" she finished. She gave him a tiny smile. "Yeah, I did." She sighed. "Maybe I was being naïve or something, but I always thought that, one day, we'd be able to be together. Maybe when the girls were older and I didn't need…Teddy. Or maybe something else. I don't know." She shrugged.

The look in his eyes was a mix of emotions and she reached up and put a hand on his cheek. "I'd like you to keep it, Ray," he said.

She nodded and took the ring and the box from him. "I will." She put the ring back in the box and then back into her bag. "You're the love of my life, Deacon. You've always been, no matter what we've been through. And now I get to marry you, the way I always wanted to."

He leaned in and kissed her, then put his hand on her face, stroking her cheek with his thumb. "This is all I ever dreamed of, Rayna. This day. With you."

She smiled and breathed in. "Will you walk me down to my car?" She picked up her bag. "I hate to leave you now, but I'll see you soon."

He took the bag from her and then reached for her hand and together they walked out of the room.

 **Deacon**

Beverly and Scarlett were waiting by the trailer that was his. He drove up and parked, then looked over at Maddie, who was sitting in the front seat. "Y'all gonna go see your mama?" he asked.

She smiled and nodded. "Yeah." She leaned over and put her arms around him. "I'm so happy, Dad," she murmured into his neck.

He hugged her back. "Me too, sweetie." He straightened up and glanced back at Tandy and Daphne. "I guess I'll see y'all, huh?"

"Yep," Tandy said, opening the door and getting out.

He breathed in, wondering if he'd ever win her over. He shook his head, thinking it was unlikely, but he hated that there seemed to be nothing he could do. He got out of the truck and watched Tandy and the girls traipse over to Rayna's trailer. Then he turned to look at his sister and niece. "Y'all ain't gonna hang out with the bride too?" he asked, with a smirk.

Scarlett practically danced over to him, taking his arm and beaming up at him. "We figured you needed someone to hang out with _you_ , make sure you got dressed right, and combed your hair."

He laughed. "You're worried I won't get dressed right?"

Beverly walked over to him and took his other arm. "I can remember a little boy who put his pants on backwards and wore his t-shirts inside out." She gave him a thin smile. "Doesn't hurt to have someone make sure you don't walk out like that on the most important day of your life."

He felt a lump in his throat. He was glad at least she was making an effort. He turned and opened up the back door of the truck and pulled out the garment bag with his wedding suit and his overnight bag. Then he held one hand out towards the trailer. "Let's go then," he said. Scarlett scampered up the trailer steps and he and Beverly followed behind.

 **Rayna**

Rayna looked up as the door to her trailer opened. She was sitting in front of the mirror and her hair stylist was working on her hair. She felt comfortable in her plush white robe and slippers. She smiled happily when she saw Tandy and the girls walk in, all dressed in their wedding day finery. "Hey, y'all," she cried out. She put her hands up to her mouth. "Y'all look so beautiful." She winked at Tandy. "All of you."

Tandy gave her a teasing side-eye. "We left your fiancé in the arguably capable hands of his sister and niece. God help him."

The girls ran up and stood on either side of her. "Mom, you look beautiful," Daphne said, running her hand up and down Rayna's arm.

Rayna looked over at her in the mirror. "Thank you, my sweet girl," she said. "Do you like your dress?"

Daphne shrugged. "It's fine."

Rayna rubbed her lips together, wondering if Daphne was feeling like she was on the outside again. She hoped not. She and Deacon both had worked hard to make sure she was included in everything and she'd been encouraged by the fact that Daphne seemed to be accepting Deacon more as part of the family.

The stylist attached the rhinestone studded barrette into her hair and arranged her hair over her right shoulder. "This what you were thinking, Rayna?" she asked.

Rayna looked at the girls. "What do y'all think?"

Maddie smiled. "I think it looks so romantic, Mom. It'll be perfect with your dress."

She looked up at Maddie and, taking her hand, squeezed it and smiled. "Thank you, honey. I'm so glad you like it." She cut her eyes over to Daphne, who'd wandered over to sit next to Tandy. "Daphne, sweetheart? What do you think?"

Daphne smiled, a smile Rayna recognized as the same kind of smile she'd put on when she was anxious for things to be over. "You look pretty, Mom," Daphne said, her arms crossed over her waist.

Rayna felt some unsettling flutters in her stomach, but tried to ignore them. She looked at her stylist in the mirror. "This looks great. Thank you so much." When the stylist turned and walked out of the trailer, Rayna turned in her chair to face Maddie, who was now sitting on the loveseat, Daphne and Tandy. "So," she said. "Today's a big day. How are y'all really feeling?"

Maddie smiled. "So happy," she said.

Rayna smiled back at her. "I kind of knew this would be like your dream come true."

Maddie nodded. "It is. I'm so happy you and Dad found your way back together." She looked over at Daphne then. "And now we'll all be a family."

Rayna nodded. "That's what I'm hoping for." She looked at all three, but looked a little longer at her sister. "I love Deacon, with all my heart. And I want to marry him. I want us to be a family." She gazed then at her youngest daughter. "I want you to feel like you're part of this, Daphne. You're my daughter too, just like your sister, and it's important to me for you to feel like you're part of this new family. I've told you, and I know he has too, that he loves you. He's always loved you." She laughed a little. "Probably loved you before you were even born." Daphne looked confused and she smiled. "He told me more than once back when we were on the road together that he loved y'all because you were mine. I believed him, because I could see it with my own two eyes. And now the four of us get to build that beautiful family together and we're _all_ part of that." She looked at Daphne. "Even, and especially, you, my darling girl."

Maddie put her arm around her sister. "See? I told you." Daphne rolled her eyes, but Rayna was happy to see that she had a genuine smile on her face.

Rayna looked at Tandy. "And you, my darling sister. Are you ready for this?"

Tandy looked at her thoughtfully and then smiled. "I'm just along for the ride." Rayna frowned slightly and Tandy tilted her head a little. "I'm here to see my sister get married, on one of the happiest days of her life. What could be better than that?"

Rayna wondered if Tandy could really put her enmity towards Deacon aside, but before she had time to really think about it, there was a knock on the door and then Lane popped her head in. "Is the bride ready to get dressed in her beautiful wedding dress?"

"Yes!" Maddie and Daphne squealed and Rayna got up from her chair, laughing. Tandy was only slightly wrong. This was actually _the_ happiest day of her life.

 **Deacon**

Scarlett walked up to him as he stood where Lane had told him to stand. She smiled up at him. "You nervous?"

He shrugged. "Maybe."

She laughed. "No need to be. You're only marrying the love of your life."

He breathed in and smiled. "I guess I just still can't get used to it."

She nodded. "Things working out like they should?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"It's meant to be, Deacon."

"What in the world are y'all talking about?" He and Scarlett turned to face Beverly, who had a quizzical look on her face. "You look like you're about to jump out of your shoes, baby brother."

"He was just telling me he was nervous," Scarlett said.

Beverly rolled her eyes. "Good grief, Deacon. You've only been waiting for this your whole damn life. What's so hard about it?"

He made a face and looked up, then back at his sister. "I got this long set of vows and I don't wanna screw it up. I planned out this perfect honeymoon for her and I want it to stay that way. I just don't wanna disappoint her."

Beverly shook her head. "Baby brother, quit fussing and _relax_." She narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm going over there" – she pointed at one of the chairs on the front row – "and wait for the show to start." She turned and walked that way. He and Scarlett looked at each other and smiled.

Just then Maddie came running up. "Dad!" she called out.

He pulled her into an embrace. "Hey there, sweet girl," he said with a smile. He looked at Scarlett. "Don't she look pretty?"

Scarlett nodded. "She does." She reached out and fingered the lacy sleeve on Maddie's dress. "I love your dress, Maddie."

Maddie smiled. "Thank you." She turned back to him. "Dad, you look so handsome," she said. "Mom's going to fall in love with you all over again."

He smiled. "Well, that's the plan, I guess."

Scarlett patted his arm. "I need to get set up with Gunnar. I'll see y'all after the wedding."

He nodded, then looked at Maddie. "I see your young man is here." He nodded towards Colt, standing at the back of the chairs. She looked at him with a question in her eyes. "Go talk to him, baby. Just remember, you don't gotta do nothing you don't want."

She smiled and hugged him. "Thanks, Dad." He watched her walk off and he felt a burst of pride. He might not have known she was his daughter until just a few years before, but he couldn't have been prouder of her than if he'd raised her up himself.

He felt a hand on his back and he turned to see Lane and the judge. "Deacon, we're going to get you situated and then have Scarlett and Gunnar sing." She smiled. "And then you'll get to see your bride."

He felt a mix of nerves, excitement, and anticipation. He'd waited a lot of years for this and now he was finally getting everything he wanted. Rayna would be his wife and they would raise up their daughters together and be a family.

* * *

He didn't hear the four piece orchestra behind him. He didn't see any of the guests sitting in the chairs in front of him. Everything felt like it faded into the background. Everything except for the radiance of Rayna as she appeared in the aisle between the rows of chairs and started walking towards him.

There had really never been a time when he didn't think she was beautiful. He remembered when he first met her and she was all short curls and freckles, but he thought she was an angel. As the years went on, she was always luminous on stage and steely strong off of it. While he certainly lived through her tears and anger, what he remembered most were the times she was there by his side, her eyes filled with love and hope, her smile courageous and encouraging. And even when she was married to Teddy, engaged to Luke, she was always stunning, saving her sweetest smiles for him. He knew that now.

But today he thought she'd never looked more gorgeous, never looked more amazing. She seemed to float down the aisle to him, her eyes leaving his only to briefly look at the girls. And then there she was, standing next to him, shoulder to shoulder, her hand reaching for his, the smile on her face filled with hope. And love in her eyes. His Rayna. The love of his life.

 **Rayna**

She was standing in the trailer by herself, in front of the mirror. She smoothed her hands down over the dress, smiling at her reflection. The dress was perfect, exactly how she had imagined it in her dreams. She knew she wasn't supposed to, but she fiddled with her hair, then smoothed it back into place. She took a deep breath to settle the butterflies in her stomach.

She hadn't felt this way the day she'd married Teddy. The only butterflies she felt that day were the ones that kept telling her she was doing the wrong thing. Only she hadn't listened. There had been a time – more than once, actually – when she thought a day like this would never happen. Times when she thought she'd never be as happy as she was when she was sixteen years old and met the boy who turned her head and her heart and became as much a part of her as breathing. And even through the dark years, the love was there. Hard to find sometimes, but there just the same. And now she was finally going to marry him.

There was a knock on the trailer door and then it opened. Lane stepped in, a smile on her face. "Are you ready to go meet your groom?" she asked.

Rayna smiled. "I've never been more ready for anything in my life."

* * *

He looked so handsome, standing there. She had told herself she would acknowledge their guests, but she really couldn't take her eyes off him as she walked slowly towards him. She did manage to look at the girls, but truly, he was the only one she saw. She could tell he had tears in his eyes and she knew how big a day this was for him. As much as it was for her, it was even more for him. Because he'd waited all those years, even when he probably wondered why.

She smiled at him and he smiled back, looking a little nervous. So when they stood next to each other, she slipped her hand into his and felt his strong fingers squeeze hers. They were really going to do this.

* * *

When it was all over and the vows had been spoken and agreed to and rings were exchanged, she felt a sense of calm wash over her that confirmed for her that this was exactly the right thing to do. She knew, without a doubt, that marrying this man truly had been her destiny. And now she was ready to celebrate that destiny.

* * *

Watty came up to her and led her out on the dance floor. She put a hand around his neck and leaned into his shoulder. "I'm so glad you're here, Watty," she said, looking back up at him.

He smiled at her. "I told you I wouldn't miss this for anything." He kissed her on the cheek. "I'm happy for you, my little songbird. You deserve all the happiness in the world."

She felt a little melancholy for a moment. "What do you think Mom would have thought?" she asked.

"About this? Or about Deacon?" he asked.

She shrugged. "I don't know. Both, I guess."

He smiled down at her. "As long as you were happy, she would have been happy for you." He breathed in. "Your mother loved you and your sister more than anything in the world. And she wanted only the very best for both of you. She would have wanted you to be happy and loved and cherished, so she would be glad you found that in Deacon."

She felt a tear slide down her cheek then and reached up to wipe it away. She smiled at her mentor and dear friend. "Thank you," she whispered.

He leaned into her ear then and said, "Your new husband's looking a little like he needs to be rescued, so I'm going to take you back to him."

She looked over and saw Tandy say something to Deacon and knew Watty was right. She laughed and then let Watty walk her over and hand her off, just after Tandy walked away. She reached for his hand and smiled at him. "What did she say?"

He shook his head. "Nothing really." He let out a little laugh. "Nothing she ain't never said before." He smiled. "This time she told me that if I ever hurt you again she'd come after me with the force of a hurricane." He emphasized the last few words.

She rolled her eyes and then kissed his cheek. "Oh, don't worry about her. And that's probably the same thing Beverly would say to me, so we'll be even." She leaned her head against his shoulder. "I think it's time to go change so we can start that wonderful honeymoon you've been planning."

He squeezed her hand. "I was thinking the very same thing."

 **Deacon**

 _I thank God that I'm with you here tonight / 'Cause that's all I've ever needed in this life / We done love wrong so many times / I think it's time we do love right_

 _From here on out, I'm turning around / I'm parting ways with the man I used to be / And I'm making you a promise / I'm gonna make it count / From here on out / From here on out / From here on out_

He was glad it was the end of the song, because he was pretty sure the lump in his throat was going to keep him from singing any more words anyway. He was anxious to hear what she thought. He'd seen a myriad of emotions cross her face, from a soft smile to a tiny frown to the hint of tears. He sat, holding his breath, his hand laying over the sound hole. She sat there for a moment, not saying a word, and his heart started beating wildly. Then she scooched a little closer to him and reached for the guitar, taking it from his hands. She stood and walked over to put it back on the stand he'd taken it from and then came back and sat next to him, her knees barely touching his. She reached out her hands and placed them on either side of his face, drawing him to her for a kiss.

When she pulled back, he saw tears in her eyes and a tiny smile on her face. She rubbed her thumbs over his cheeks. "Oh, my love," she whispered. "You've been that man all along. You just finally recognize it." He felt a sob rise up in his throat but he smiled over top of it and then reached for her, pulling her into his arms and kissing her with all the love he had in his heart for her.

Almost before he knew it, they had undressed each other and he had pulled the blanket on the back of the couch over them as he covered her body with his. "Oh, baby, I love you so much," he whispered against her lips as he slid inside her. She half closed her eyes and moaned softly as she took him in, wrapping her legs around his and her arms around his neck. He claimed her mouth then and they moved together in perfect harmony, just as though they were writing a song with their lovemaking.

 **Rayna**

It was dark, although it would be dawn soon. A tiny shaft of moonlight came through a slit in the curtains on the window of the bedroom. She tried to stay still, because she could tell he was asleep. His breathing was shallow and even. His chest was against her back, his legs tangled with hers, and his arm across her abdomen. He'd carried her in and gently laid her on the bed, much like he had carried her over the threshold of the cabin.

 _He made her wait while he came around and opened the door of the truck for her. He took her hand and led her up the steps and then down the porch. She noticed the lights were all on and wondered who had taken care of that. When they got to the door, he unlocked it and she started forward. When he grabbed her arm, she looked at him. "You are_ _not_ _going to carry me over the threshold," she said._

" _Oh, yes I am," he said with a smile._

" _Deacon Claybourne, don't be silly," she protested, but he bent his knees and picked her up and she squealed. "You're crazy," she cried, wrapping her arms around his neck._

" _Crazy for you," he said with a smile. Then he carried her over, giving her a kiss. "I did it."_

 _She laughed. "Yeah, you did."_

Oh, and then he sang that song and her heart had melted. If she didn't already love him as much as her heart could bear, she would have loved him more then. He'd poured his heart into the song and out to her and she nearly wept at the loveliness of it. Actually she _had_ cried a little, but only because he had underestimated just how far he'd come. As she felt his arm around her, she felt safe and loved and protected and she wondered, again, why she had ever waited as long as she had.

She closed her eyes for a moment and thought about how different things could have been, maybe, had she just gone after him that night at the CMA's, the night he'd confronted her about Maddie, and had left, humiliated and heartbroken. Maybe she could have saved him then, saved them, and none of what followed would have happened. Him losing his sobriety after thirteen years, the accident, the distance between them afterwards. And Luke. But they'd talked about it and had been kind of amazed they had survived it all. It spoke to the very deep love they had for each other, the love that let them do the worst and never lose each other completely.

The wedding had been perfect – Lane had translated her vision to perfection – and it had truly been the happiest day of her life. And now they would embark on the rest of their lives together. _But I still wonder just where it is we're starting that life._

She turned in his arms, not caring that she'd wake him up. And actually that was the point. "Babe," she whispered.

He stirred and frowned, then opened his eyes briefly. "What?" he said, closing them again.

"Are you gonna tell me now where we're going?"

He was silent and she wondered if he'd gone back to sleep. Then she saw his mouth turn up in a smile. He leaned in and kissed her. "Still not the time," he said. Then he opened his eyes and rolled her onto her back, sprawling on top of her. He chuckled. "But it _is_ time for some more of this." He took her mouth in his and kissed her long and hard and she wrapped her arms around his neck and sighed deep in her throat and let that magical wedding night continue on.


	11. Chapter 11

**Deacon**

"Can I open my eyes yet?" she asked, when they pulled to a stop.

"Yeah, I guess you can now," he said.

She did and saw they were at John Tune airport. She turned to him. "Where are we going?"

He smiled and winked. "Still a secret," he said. He opened his door and got out, walking around to her side. He opened her door and took her hand, helping her out. She smiled at him and he kissed her.

"Stop teasing me," she said, with a laugh. "Am I even really packed?"

"I took care of it," he said. "And if you need anything, we can get it." He took her hand and led her into the airport building and then out to the tarmac. He didn't tell her that their bags were already on the plane.

"Whose plane are we taking?" she asked.

"Charter," he said, leading her across the asphalt to the plane. When they got there, he let go of her hand and she headed up the steps. There was a flight attendant standing at the door.

"Welcome, Mr. and Mrs. Claybourne," she said, with a smile.

Rayna grinned and looked back at him, following behind her. He could tell she was thinking about correcting the young woman, but was glad she decided against it. He liked her being Mrs. Claybourne in private.

 _He was buttoning up his shirt and his fingers moved slower and slower as he watched her slide her legs into her jeans and then stand, pulling them up around her waist. He couldn't wait to take them off, once they finally got to the cabin. She looked up then, as though she knew he was thinking about her, and smiled. She walked over to him and brushed his fingers away, finishing the task of buttoning up his shirt. "You sure did look very handsome today, Mr. Claybourne," she said, sliding her hands down the front of his shirt._

 _He reached out and pushed back a lock of her hair. "And you looked very gorgeous today, Mrs. Claybourne," he said, with a wink. He touched her lips with his finger as she opened her mouth to protest. "I know. You're still Rayna Jaymes. I just like to say it."_

 _She closed her mouth and smiled. She leaned in and kissed him again. "You know what I think?" she asked, a twinkle in her eye._

" _What's that?" he responded, smiling at her._

" _I think that when we're all by ourselves, you can call me Mrs. Claybourne all you like, because you know what else I think?"_

 _He put his hands on her waist and pulled her closer. "What else do you think?" he asked with a chuckle._

 _She put both hands on his face and he could see her eyes move as she trailed them over his face. Then she looked steadily into his eyes. "I've waited a whole lifetime to be your wife, to be married to you, to be able to navigate the rest of our lives together side-by-side and just because I'm known as Rayna Jaymes professionally, I am still proud to be Rayna Claybourne personally. I never want you to doubt that for even a second."_

He couldn't help but be touched by her words. Not that he had doubted how she felt, but it had been validating. He knew her professional identity was tied up in being Rayna Jaymes and he didn't begrudge her that, but it had meant everything to hear her say that in private, she saw things differently. He smiled and followed her onto the plane.

 **Rayna**

The plane was a nice one, with a bench seat along one side and regular seats on the other. Suddenly it occurred to her they hadn't brought any luggage on board. She turned to Deacon, with a frown on her face. "Babe, what about our luggage?" she asked.

He raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Took care of it," he said.

She smiled and shook her head. "How do I know if you packed the right things? And what about my makeup and all that?"

He walked over to her and took her in his arms, kissing her gently. "Baby, you ain't gonna need makeup or sparkly clothes or nothing like that."

She made a face and smacked him lightly on the chest. "I didn't bring sparkly clothes to the cabin, if you'll recall." She leaned in close to his ear. "I even had to wear the _same_ clothes, as you well know, since you kept me at the cabin for an extra day."

He laughed. "At least I brought you clean panties," he whispered in her ear. "Not that you needed 'em."

She put her arms around his neck and leaned back slightly. "Well, that is true. I really didn't." She narrowed her eyes. "Did you bring _any_ luggage? Or are we going to some nudist camp or something?"

He made a face. "Damn. _That's_ what I shoulda done."

She raised her eyebrows. "Deacon!" she exclaimed. "That would have been the _wrong_ thing to do." She smiled. "So when do I get to know?"

"Soon," he said, winking at her.

"Excuse me," came the voice of the flight attendant. They both turned to look at her. "The captain wanted me to let y'all know we're ready to taxi out, so you'll need to take your seats," she said with a smile. Then she headed back to the cockpit.

"Thanks," he said and then he took her hand, leading her to one of the regular cabin chairs. "My dear?" he said, with an exaggerated bow.

She smiled happily, then leaned in and kissed him before sitting down and pulling the seatbelt around her waist. "I guess I'm ready for my honeymoon adventure," she said. When he got himself situated in the seat across from her, she leaned forward and took his hands. "I know I've been teasing you about where we're going, but I just want you to know that I will follow you to the ends of the earth, no questions asked. I knew, when I was sixteen years old, that this would be the most amazing ride of my life and it has been. Even though we've had some ups and downs along the way, there's no one I'd rather take this journey with. And no one I'd rather spend the rest of my life with."

She saw the tears in his eyes and the emotions play across his face. He lifted one of her hands to his lips. "I'd've waited for you forever, baby," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "You know you're everything. I told you the truth, that I was just always gonna love you, no matter what."

She reached up and wiped away a tear. "I have a life that's good," she said, hearing her voice catch. She could feel the plane moving and she sat back, waiting to see what was next.

 **Deacon**

He was looking out the window at the perfect blue sky. The color was so crystal clear, it almost hurt his eyes to look at it. It had been a smooth flight thus far. Rayna was still sleeping, wrapped up in his arms on the bench seat and he gently kissed the hair on the top of her head. He looked down at the hand that was laying on her arm and he still could hardly believe he was finally her husband. The ring felt good on his finger and he promised himself he would never take it off.

A movement caught his eye and he saw the flight attendant stand at the front of the cabin. She had left them alone the entire flight and now she was smiling at him. "We're getting ready to make our descent, Mr. Claybourne," she said softly.

He knew that meant they needed to get into their seats and he nodded. It was also time to tell Rayna where they were headed. He ran his hand up her arm. "Rayna?" he whispered. "Baby, time to wake up."

She stirred in his arms and stretched her legs. Then she looked up at him, her eyes heavy with sleep. "Are we there?" she asked, her voice groggy.

He smiled. "Almost. We need to get in our seats though."

She stretched again. "This is so nice though." She smiled up at him. "You're sure I can't stay here?"

He shook his head. "Nah. Gotta follow the rules."

She very reluctantly pushed herself up and then sat on the edge of the seat. She put her hand on his knee. "Can you tell me where we're going now?" she asked.

He nodded. "Let's get in our seats and I will," he said. They got up and went back to the seats they'd been in when they took off. He leaned forward and took her hand and smiled. "You remember that time we did that show in San Diego?"

She made a face. "Babe, we've done a _lot_ of shows in San Diego," she said.

He smirked. "I guess that's true. So the one back when you got your first tour. When you opened for…."

She nodded. "George Strait. I remember."

"You remember driving down to Mexico?"

She lifted her other hand to her mouth and he saw tears in her eyes. "We're going back to Rosarito?"

He laughed. "A little farther down the coast. Unfortunately, if we wanted to stay in Rosarito it'd be in that same hole in the wall."

"Oh, but Deacon, we could recreate 'Postcard from Mexico' and everything." She smiled. "It would be like a full circle moment."

"Yeah, but no," he said, shaking his head, smiling back at her. "We'll be at a nice place with a balcony so we can see the ocean. For four days. And then we're going to Hawaii."

She gasped. "Really? Oh, babe, I've always wanted to go to Hawaii."

He nodded. "I remember. I got us a place that's away from stuff. Private. Just you and me." He smiled. "Well, with a couple people to make sure we got food and clean sheets and towels and stuff. Someplace you can be pampered like you deserve."

She smiled. "You really did make this a wonderful surprise. Thank you."

He could feel himself getting emotional. "All I ever wanted to do, baby, was make you happy."

 **Rayna**

The limo dropped them off at the hotel and they rode the elevator up to the top floor, where he had reserved the honeymoon suite for them. Her attention was drawn immediately to the balcony and the blue ocean beyond. She walked across the suite and opened the sliding doors, walking out and standing at the balcony rail. There was a nice ocean breeze and she held onto the railing and leaned her head back, closing her eyes and letting the breeze run through her hair and across her shoulders. She smiled to herself, listening to the roar of the waves, feeling the sun on her face. She heard his footsteps as he walked across the concrete balcony floor and then she could feel him standing next to her.

She turned and looked at him, dressed in his usual jeans, boots, and a t-shirt. As much as she loved him in his wedding suit, this was how she loved him best. Rugged and handsome, her cowboy. She put her hand on his arm and he smiled at her. "You happy, Ray?" he asked.

She smiled back. "So happy," she said. He turned towards her and she put her hands on his face, pulling him to her for a kiss. She lingered there, tasting his lips and then his tongue, drawing out the kiss until he'd put his hands on her waist, pulling her up against him, and she felt her toes curl. She pulled her lips from his and looked into his eyes. "I love you, Deacon," she whispered.

He breathed in, an emotional look on his face. "I love you, Rayna," he whispered back.

* * *

Neither one of them remembered the name or location of the place where they'd stayed all those years ago. But it didn't really matter. It was being there and remembering that time in their lives.

They were so young, although back then they felt older, with all the life experience they felt like they'd had. She stood and looked out over the ocean, remembering what life was like back then. She was not quite twenty-one. She had finally made it onto a real tour, the one that would ultimately get her career going. She and Deacon had toiled for years in the trenches, first honky tonks and bars, then on the festival and fair circuit. She'd put out one album, on the new Edgehill label, and had very modest sales and no radio play at first, but it got her noticed. The tour gave her that first push towards stardom, which she was able to capitalize on.

They'd had a couple of days off after the West Coast leg of the tour. Deacon was the one who suggested driving to Mexico. Back then, crossing the border was easy and they'd found a dirt cheap room in an old motel by the side of the road. The sheets were scratchy and the air conditioner was fan only. There wasn't much to do except make love and drink and they'd done a lot of both.

She remembered it being that time of their lives just before his drinking really got out of hand. Or maybe it was when she'd lost tolerance for it. In any case, they drank cheap tequila and then made up their own little sexy game that involved him being a man with a dangerous past and her being a woman with her own dark secrets.

They'd played the game, got a little drunk, and had sex in a dirty gas station bathroom. 'Postcard from Mexico' had come from that and it still remained one of her favorites, a song that got them both hot and bothered on stage.

She turned back to him. It was a sunny day, not too hot yet. He smiled at her. "You're thinking about the sex," he said.

She could feel herself blush, but she laughed. "I did remember it," she said, walking back to him. He put his arms around her and kissed her. "A lot's changed since then," she said, with a sigh.

He nodded. "It has, for sure. _We've_ changed a lot."

"In some ways, yes, we have. We're older and wiser but you know, when I'm with you, I still feel like that young woman right on the precipice, ready to take off. There was so much love and music back then. Sometimes it amazes me that it's survived all these years. But then that's always been at the core of us, so maybe I shouldn't be surprised."

"It's been everything, always." He hugged her close and she put her arms around his waist, resting her head on his shoulder.

This man was the light of her life and she was so grateful to have him back in it. Forever and always.

 **Deacon**

He'd held his breath the whole ride from the airport, hoping he'd gotten it right. He'd told her they were going to _Kow-ee_ and she'd laughed gently and told him it was _Kah-why_. _You know I ain't no good with that kinda stuff._ He just hoped he'd gotten the rest of it right.

They finally arrived at the house. He'd been told it looked unassuming from the street, and it had, so he hoped the rest was as spectacular as he'd been promised. It far surpassed the promise, starting the second they walked in and saw the floor to ceiling sliding doors that led to the lush green lawn and then the stunning sky and ocean beyond.

She gasped and then hugged him. "Oh, Deacon, it's exactly what I dreamed. You remembered!"

He wanted to cry. All he'd ever wanted to do was please her, make her happy, not disappoint her. This had been the place she had described to him that long ago rainy afternoon when she was nineteen. They were in their apartment and she had despaired of ever making it. He had challenged her to come up with her dream tour, where they would go, the kind of venues they would play, how long they'd be on the road. It had ended with a place like this to celebrate.

Like he'd been able to give her her lake house dream, he'd wanted to give her this too.

* * *

He watched her as she walked towards the sliding doors. She opened them up and walked out onto the patio, then across the grass until she stood at the top of the cliff that dropped down to a small beach below. He followed behind her, far enough back so that he didn't disturb her as she took it all in. The gentle breeze caught her hair, lifting it up, and the sun turned it to gold. He thought back to that long ago day.

 _It was raining hard and it seemed to suit Rayna's somber mood. She heated up a can of spaghetti and meatballs and fixed a salad. When the spaghetti was hot, she put it on two plates and added the salad. She carried the plates to the table and sat down, one leg underneath her. She picked up her fork and poked at the food._

 _He picked up his beer and tapped hers. "What's going on, baby?" he asked._

 _She looked up and sighed. "I'm never gonna make it in this business," she said._

 _He frowned. "You don't know that." He scooped up some spaghetti on his fork and shoveled it into his mouth._

 _She rolled her eyes. "It's been three years, Deacon, and we're still playing honky tonks and dive bars." She dropped her fork on the plate. "And eating store brand crap and drinking cheap beer and whiskey." He could see tears in her eyes and he put his own fork down._

 _He reached across the table for her hand. "Ray, you're nineteen. It takes a while to make it. You know that."_

" _But Watty…."_

 _He shook his head. "Watty said keep plugging away. Stay the course. Be true to the music. It'll come, baby. We written some great songs and we keep getting more people come to see us. It's gonna get better." When he saw the tear roll down her cheek, he felt like his stomach had been turned inside out. He got up and pulled her up from the table, leading her to the couch, where he settled her in his lap, his arms wrapped around her. "Tell me, baby, what that tour's gonna be like."_

 _She pouted. "What's the use? We'll never get past Ashland City at this rate."_

 _He grabbed her chin and gently turned her face towards his. "Tell me, baby. How many places we gonna go?"_

 _She sighed and, for a minute, he thought she was not going to play. She looked down at her hands, then back at him. "I want to go all over the US. All the big cities, of course, but some smaller places too. The places that the big acts don't go to anymore. So that those people don't have to spend all their money traveling someplace to see us."_

" _You wanna play in big arenas?"_

 _She nodded and finally smiled a little. "I do. Like Municipal Auditorium here. And bigger too. But I like the small places, where people can feel closer to the music, you know?"_

 _He smiled. "I do know, baby. I love how you wanna let everybody hear your music."_

" _Our_ _music, Deacon. It's_ _our_ _music. Not just mine."_

" _You're who they're coming to see, baby, 'cause you're so good."_

" _Well, I don't know if that's completely true." She kissed him. "I see a lot of women who can't keep their eyes off you."_

 _He felt his face get red. "I ain't interested in nobody but you, Ray. Never will be."_

 _She giggled. "Anyway, I want to play in all size places. Maybe not stadiums. I think that's too big, but arenas and smaller places, like the Opry or the Ryman."_

" _How big a band you gonna have?"_

" _Oh, it'll just be you and me."_

 _He shook his head. "We need more than that, in those big places."_

" _Well, what do we need?" She moved off his lap then and bent her legs under her, sitting straight and bouncing just a little bit._

 _He thought about that. "Another guitar for sure, maybe a fiddle player. Keyboards maybe. Drums. Bass player. And maybe a backup singer or two."_

 _Her eyes got wide. "I'd have to be a really big star for that."_

 _He smiled. "You will be. You'll be the Queen of Country Music." He rubbed her leg with his hand. "And then what? When the tour is over."_

 _She thought about that and then she smiled. "I want to go someplace fabulous, to just wind down and drink it all in and relax. Just you and me, someplace really special."_

" _Like where?"_

 _She bit her lip. "I've always wanted to go to Hawaii. And stay in a place that is up high on a hill, looking out over the ocean. There would be sliding glass doors all across the house so we could wake up and see the ocean first thing. And it would be private, just our own little oasis. We'll watch the waves and see beautiful sunsets. And the sky will be blue and the sun will shine all day and there will be flowers everywhere. Just us, not another soul._ _That's_ _how we'll end it."_

They never had though. Either he was checking into rehab or she was married to Teddy. This was what he'd really wanted to give her though. That one last dream she had. The finish that was really the beginning.

She turned back then and his heart filled with love at the look of pure joy on her face. She clasped her hands in front of her mouth and then she ran towards him. He grabbed her in his arms as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him hard. He loved this woman so much, he sometimes didn't even have words for it. "Oh my God, Deacon," she whispered in his ear. "This is perfect." She looked up at him, taking his face in her hands. "Thank you for the most amazing honeymoon."

He smiled. "We ain't even hardly started yet," he said.

* * *

They had ten beautiful days in Hawaii. By the time they headed for the airport, they were both completed relaxed and ready to get back home. They had a long travel day ahead, flying first to Honolulu, then to LA, and then finally back to Nashville. This time on the charter flight home, they both fell asleep, only waking when the flight attendant tapped them on the shoulder to let them know they were arriving.

It was early evening and the sun had set, but it still wasn't completely dark when they pulled into the driveway at the house. The lights were on, but they sat in the truck for a few minutes. She grabbed his hand, leaned over the console, and kissed him. "That was the most wonderful trip," she said, her eyes filled with happiness. "Everything you planned was so perfect. Going back to the beginning and then ending with a new beginning."

He smiled back at her. "You deserved it, Ray," he said.

She put her hand on his cheek. "We _both_ deserved it, babe," she said. "All of it." She sighed. "I've never been so happy in my life, Deacon. I wish we hadn't waited so long, but now that we have all this, well, I'm not ever giving it up again."

He breathed in deeply. "Me neither, baby," he said. He laughed a little. "I think you were right about that we probably will still disappoint each other sometimes. But in the end, we'll always work it out."

She nodded. "You're like the breath I breathe. And no matter what comes, we'll always do it together."

He leaned in and kissed her. Then he smiled. "So we gonna go in and see our family together?"

She laughed. "Yeah, I think that's what we're gonna do." She bit her lip. "We've got everything we ever wanted," she said softly.

He put his hand on the back of her neck and kissed her hard. She was right. This was everything they'd ever said they wanted. He loved her so much it hurt sometimes, but in a good way. He pulled his lips from hers. "Let's go do this, Mrs. Claybourne," he said with a wink. And she laughed, that laugh that he loved. The laugh that he would love for the rest of his life.


	12. Chapter 12

**Epilogue**

 _ **10 years later**_

Deacon woke up and slowly opened his eyes. The brightness in the room told him he'd slept late. He rolled his head to the side and looked at the unmade half of the bed and sighed deeply. Then he sat up and rubbed his face with the heels of his hands. He looked over at the clock by the bedside and saw it was just past eight. Not as late as he'd thought. He sighed again and then pushed back the covers and slid his legs over the side of the bed. He got up and walked into his closet and pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and then padded barefoot out of the bedroom, down the hall and the stairs, and into the kitchen.

The house was quiet. Too quiet. He busied himself making coffee, pulling out a mug and setting it on the counter next to the coffeemaker. He reached for his medications and popped them into his mouth, then opened the fridge and pulled out a bottled water. He uncapped it and took a long swallow. He looked around the kitchen and thought again that this house was too big. He wondered again about the wisdom of keeping it, especially now that both girls had moved out. It was just too much house.

When the coffee was done, he poured a mug, then leaned on the counter and opened up his laptop. He searched for Highway 65 and the top article was a review of Outlaw Rodeo's concert at the Bridgestone the night before. He'd been there and had been pleased with how it had gone. The band was on its first arena tour and was selling out like crazy. He skimmed through the article, which talked about the rapport the band had with the crowd, the noise level inside the arena, how the crowd seemed to out-sing the band. The four member band had had a meteoric rise ever since they'd signed with Highway 65. Deacon was particularly proud of them, since he'd discovered them one night at the old Claybourne & Gray, renamed Third & Church. The guys had been on the honky tonk circuit for years, but that night had been their lucky break and now it was all coming to fruition.

Deacon had never thought he'd want to be a label executive, but it had been an easy transition for him, as it turned out. He'd always been glad Rayna had convinced him he could do it. It had sort of brought them full circle, back to the days when music had been part of the glue that held them together, that tied them to each other. Doing it together had been better than he ever could have imagined. He smiled to himself as he took a sip of the hot coffee.

He breathed in. He missed her. All she'd ever had to be gone was a minute and he'd miss her. They had both wondered what it would be like, to be married and in a good place. It had been his drinking that had destroyed them the first time around and they had both been cautious, her more so than him. What they had found was that they were still the same people, with the same personalities and passions and determination, but in a different world, where they were equals and strong in their own right, things had been different. Better.

He hated the quiet. He hated her gone.

His phone buzzed and he picked it up, turning it over to look at the screen. He smiled as he answered. "You're up kinda early," he said.

* * *

He was running a little late and drove a little too fast to John Tune airport. It wasn't like the plane would leave without him, because it was his plane, after all. But he was ready to go, ready to be on his way. Maddie was performing at the Grammys in LA the next night and she was up for five awards and he wanted to be there to support her. It wasn't her first Grammy performance and it wouldn't be her first award, but it thrilled him every time he saw her on stage and every time she got that confirmation that she was a success.

He never watched her without thinking about how much she was like Rayna. Maddie had had a little easier road to success, because they had helped her, and she'd had a lot of success quickly and at an earlier age than Rayna had. But he had been so proud of how down-to-earth she was about it. She had become a real role model for other young artists just starting out, including Daphne, who would be flying in the same stratosphere soon.

He settled back in the seat and closed his eyes. He was too old for late nights these days. He was asleep almost as soon as the plane left the runway.

* * *

When he walked down the steps of the plane, he was nearly blinded by the white sunlight. He pulled his sunglasses out of his pocket and slid them on. It was warm, warmer than Nashville, but not hot. But, as usual, whenever he was in LA he was always conscious of the almost constant sunlight, a brightness that seemed brighter somehow than the sunlight in Nashville. In Nashville, a sunny day seemed clear and filled with color, the color of flowers or the green of the trees. But in LA the light was white and made everything seem washed out.

Well, everything except the head full of red-gold hair that waited for him just outside the FBO door. That was full and vibrant color and he picked up the pace of his steps as he got closer, his smile growing wider the closer he got. And then he was in her arms and his lips were on hers and he was breathing in her scent. Then she laughed softly in his ear. "I know it's only been two days, but I have missed you so much," Rayna whispered in his ear.

He grabbed her belt where it lay across the top of her jeans and pulled her in closer. "I missed you more, Mrs. Claybourne," he growled back.

 **THE END**


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